"Yellowstone Tourist Dies in 500-Foot Fall"

"Yellowstone Tourist Dies in 500-Foot Fall

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (June 18) - A woman lost her footing after stepping over a retaining wall to take a photograph and went over a cliff, falling 500 feet to her death in a canyon, park officials said."

Source: AOL News

Now, this is sad news for her family. The loss of a loved-one is no joke. On some level, I feel for them.

But I've gotta wonder what the hell this woman, and people like her, are thinking when they step beyond clearly-marked safety zones. In this case, it was at Yellowstone, but I've seen the same thing at the MARTA train stations in Atlanta.

Since I was a kid, I was always HIGHLY aware of the line that shows how far you're NOT supposed to go... at least until a train shows up. Almost every time I'd ride that train, though, I'd see multiple people chillin' RIGHT UP ON or on the other side of that line. Now, the space between the safety line and the end of the platform could be measured in mere INCHES, if I remember correctly (I haven't lived in Atlanta for years). Why the hell people see fit to risk their necks in this way is beyond me.

At least with this poor soul at Yellowstone, she was trying to get a better view of the scenery - a goal which she ultimately, and tragically, achieved. But the MARTA passengers?

Either way, folks, speed-limits, guard rails, and safety markers are there for a reason: When common sense fails us, these visual cues are meant to trigger a mental red-flag that might save our lives.

Now, if Yellowstone's markers aren't clear or steady, that's another story.