While it’s generally not funny to laugh at another person’s misfortune, if that person has done something really dumb and isn’t permanently injured or killed, it can often be and often is, funny.  Let’s take the iron-cross woman of the draw bridge.  The photo of her hanging on for dear life is just funny.  If it was a scene from a movie and it happened to Steve Carell for example, the audience would be hysterical, hence, truth is often stranger and funnier than fiction.

The woman, Wanda McGowan 55 of Dania Beach Florida, had just completed a breast cancer awareness walk when she thought it a good idea to walk on to a train bridge, despite no pedestrian access, and no trespassing signs.  She probably decided to go for it because she’s a big fan of Stand By Me.  All I could think of was train Dodge gone bad.  Perhaps she believed she was filming a scene for Jackass 5.  After about 20-30 minutes of hanging on, fire rescue was able to get her down using a 24 foot ladder.  In response to the rescue, Ft. Lauderdale City spokesman Matt Little said, “We are thankful that the individual involved in this life-threatening incident survived. The decision to trespass on private property was an unfortunate, poor choice that endangered the trespasser’s life as well as the lives of the first responders.”  I’m sure she realizes that it was a stupid choice in hindsight.

Adding insult to injury, (perhaps insult to stupidity) would be a better phrase, Robert LeDoux of Florida East Coast Railway said his company is waiting to find out more about the woman before deciding whether or not to press charges.  Hopefully this thrill seeker or daredevil has learned her lesson.  A lesson learned very inexpensively as it turned out.  Thankfully she’s ok.  And thanks for the laugh.