In a tragic accident, a tourist from Hong Kong went over the edge at the Grand Canyon in Arionza as he was trying to take a selfie. He died after falling from a 1,000-foot ledge. It was near the rail-protected Sky Walk, but not on it.
Last fall at Yosemite National Park, a travel-blogging couple fell 800 feet to their deaths from a cliff as they were attempting to take a selfie.
According to a study, 259 people have died while taking selfies during the period from 2011-2017. Of those, over 70 percent were men.
In the case of the Grand Canyon, it is impossible to install safety rails along the over 277 miles of rugged ledges and canyon terrain.
The best defense against selfie accidents is good old common sense.