‘Safety third’: Ziplining disaster leaves onlookers panicked after a man is dragged along for the ride

Whatever you decide to do, safety should always be a top priority — especially when practicing potentially dangerous sports. No matter how hard you try, though, things don’t always go as planned.

Recently, a video showcasing a wince-inducing ziplining accident went viral on TikTok, and it’s the perfect example of how disaster can strike when we least expect it. The clip was filmed on a sunny day in 2022, and it features a group of four tourists starting their ride when a fifth person suddenly appears in the shot, getting dragged along. That person is Taylor Anderson, an experienced guide at Ozark Mountain Ziplines in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

It’s unclear whether Anderson was mistakenly attached to one of his clients, or if he was supposed to zipline with them, but his line broke. One thing is for sure, though: what followed was not pretty. The guide ended up falling to the ground, was dragged through the dirt, and then launched into a tree as bystanders watched in horror with no idea of what to do. We can’t blame them; most of us would react exactly the same.

Thankfully, the accident was not fatal, but Anderson was left with a severely injured shoulder and a concussion. To help cover the costs of his surgeries, the guide created a GoFundMe, but the last update we got from him was in August 2022. We don’t know if Anderson ever fully recovered, but the footage of his fall continues to shock everyone who comes across it.

Between questions about Anderson’s current state, though, there are also folks wondering how such a thing could even happen. “I’ve done 3 zipline tours and they’ve never let more than 1 person go at once. Why were there so many people on the line???”, one commenter wrote, while another expressed how the video validated her worst fears: “Yep! This is why I will never zipline or bungee jump!!!”

As reported by Time, falling is the most frequent cause of injuries during zipline rides, and fractures are the most common consequence. That said, we shouldn’t let fear take control of our lives. According to Action Sporter, there are approximately 3,700 ziplining injuries per year in the U.S., but only 12 percent of them require hospitalization. Fatalities are also rare, which means that despite some people’s apprehension, ziplining is a relatively safe sport.

If you take appropriate safety precautions and luck is on your side, the chances of you reproducing Taylor Anderson’s accident are low. Just be careful of the region you choose to zipline in; you don’t want to end up stuck above alligator-infested waters.