One death and five injuries, several of them serious injuries, all during the same afternoon, 20 minutes' drive from my house, on a trail that I hike several times a month, do tend to make me pause and think a bit about safety. I hope these incidents have the same effect on you.

The article you cite refers to accidents on NOLS wilderness expeditions, so is hardly representative of general safety. The Cascade Locks SAR group in the Columbia River Gorge is often out several times a day, usually rescuing people from their own ineptitude.