Sure. But pointing to this as an example of why someone should wear a helmet even if they're confident in their riding ability is not in any way shifting blame

Sure. But pointing to this as an example of why someone should wear a helmet even if they're confident in their riding ability is not in any way shifting blame to the rider. Nobody is actually trying to tell the security expert in this story that he should be more careful - he's dead. People in this thread are pointing out how this story highlights the importance of safe internet usage practices - much akin to how one might point to a car collision as a reason to use a helmet. That is not blaming the victim, that's encouraging others to learn from and hopefully prevent similar situations.