Grand Canyon prank photo goes viral

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WESTMONT, Ill., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman who appears to be falling from a Grand Canyon ledge in a viral photo said the picture was a prank on her over-protective mother.

Samantha Busch, 22, of Westmont said she sent the photo to her mother and colleagues at the medical auditing company where they both work as a prank after her mother repeatedly warned her about Grand Canyon safety prior to her trip with her boyfriend, ABC News reported Monday.

"For five days up to when we left, my mom had warned me about falling off the cliff or being blown off," Busch said. "So when we were hiking around the corner, I found a good spot where I could stand on the ledge. He angled the camera just right and he took a great picture."

Busch said the photo, which quickly spread across the Internet, did not amuse her mother and coworkers.

"I messaged it to her first and she works for a medical auditing company and there are women who have known me since day one, and they freaked out over it also. I emailed it to them, too, and they were all freaking out over it saying I gave them a heart attack," Busch said.

However, Busch said her mother isn't angry about the prank.

"She's fine. She wasn't even angry. She was just relieved upset," Busch said.