Reality TV — America’s collective crack pipe — can sometimes be unbearable to watch, but who knew that it could also be deadly?

When I occasionally have watched shows like Fear Factor, I always thought “What if someone got seriously injured or killed? How do they protect against this?”

It seems that sometimes these shows are less than vigilant and the unthinkable happens. That’s what happened during the taping of a reality show in Uruguay last week:

A runaway train killed seven people and injured at least 11, severing some of their limbs, during the filming of a TV show in Uruguay, police said.

The accident occurred during a “test of strength” challenge to raise money for a hospital in Young, 380km (235 miles) west of the capital, Montevideo.

Contestants were pushing and pulling a train and two carriages when the vehicle gained speed and ran them over.

Good God. This begs the much asked question “Has reality TV gone too far?” I personally think that the business model of low-production costs for high profits should at the very least take into consideration the safety of the participants.

Via / BBC News