So I take it you never done something stupid, something that could have killed you or possibly others. But luck was on your side. We’ve all been there, it’s the unlucky ones that don’t make it back.
I live in an area that has many remote regions that take away many people each year. Skiers who ski out of bounds and end up lost and frozen, cliff jumpers that don’t surface, hikers that never return, backcountry skiers that are hurried in avalanches. Are all these tragedies just a case of natural selection?
In fact the people that climb Everest and never make it down just reducing the weakness in the gene pool?
I’m sure the parents of that student which fell to her death grieve with as much sorrow as other parents that lose their child. Most accidental deaths are preventable, but that does not make them less tragic.
Since you decided to belabor the point...
This case, as reported, has nothing to do with luck, but everything to do with incredibly shortsighted, irresponsible, and yes, stupid move. It isn't even about taking a risk. Risk, in my mind, implies a prior calculation of possible outcomes and selection of those that offer a reasonable chance of success. If those calculated outcomes include possible death, in some cases it is worth taking the risk if the cause is worth it - that's what heroes do.
In this case, the lofty cause (a selfie!) was definitely not worth the risk. Any reasonable insight into possible outcomes of jumping at the very edge of a cliff would suggest that the move is incredibly stupid. I can't even believe that we are discussing it.
It wasn't an accident either. Accident is when something unexpected happens. Your examples include various degrees of risk. Climbing the Everest is not a good example of "cleaning the gene pool," as it usually involves months of preparation and training. It is a calculated risk. But climbing the Everest in a t-shirt is. Such is jumping at the edge of a cliff.
There are numerous deaths in national parks, in spite of signs like those attached below, clearly indicating that DEATH is a very likely outcome. And yet, people disregard them... and die. That is just stupid. And yes, tragic for the family anyway. But we are not discussing this in front of the family, which would be indeed insensitive.