Much like in the same vein as idiotic pranks, “stunts” should undoubtedly be considered just as dangerous when it comes to trying to score 15 minutes of fame online. Of course, these stunts become even more ludicrous when they begin to attract a larger following — which seems to have been the case in regard to a recent train stunt that almost ended with disastrous consequences. After all, there’s a distinct reason why conductors and train crew advise you to keep your legs and arms inside the moving train at all times.
As is the case with a variety of pranks and stunts, the scenario in question was shared over on TikTok, where a woman is seen hanging off the side of a train in motion while one hand is freely in the open air as the other hand is gripping onto a bar attached to the train. As the camera is rolling, the woman narrowly avoids a head-on collision with a wooden post — almost reminiscent of a familiar, yet undoubtedly unsettling scene from the 2018 horror movie Hereditary.
Considering railroad deaths have unfortunately been on the rise in recent years, then it truly is astounding that the stunt woman avoided a serious injury. As per InjuryFacts.org, there were 893 railroad deaths in 2021 — which is actually a 20% increase from 2020 and the highest total number of railroad-related deaths since 2007. But with the uptick of pranks and stunts happening all over the internet, it seems evident that the number will change.
Even commenters on the video expressed complete panic for the stunt woman, insisting that she was “minutes away from being on a different website” (likely a gory one) and that this stunt was the “easy way to meet the maker.” Luckily, she avoided the post at the very last second, but a horrific situation definitely almost occurred.