You've all heard the saying that discretion (or caution) is the better part of valor. I've currently reading Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (I'm about half way through) but something that comes up again and again are people dying because of their own cockiness or self-assuredness: they've faced other dangerous situation so, of course, this particular one (that kills them) shouldn't be any different, and the facts on the ground or other people's warnings be damned. Rather, he has pointed out, one of the key traits of survival is being adaptable and being willing to adapt.
This shows up in self-defense situations as well, although it may be something other just prior experiences that contribute to hubris. Things like: "I am in the right" or "you wouldn't dare". And this seems to be the case in an account related in an article from The Truth About Guns, "Repo Man Proves That Being Right Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Also Be Dead" by Jennifer Sensiba. She links to the surveillance video of the incident and relates:
A recent story out of Florida shows us that being dead right isn’t helpful. A tow truck driver narrowly avoided tragedy during a repo job when he got out of his truck to fight with a man who was trying to keep him from towing a car. But, the guy ran back into his house to get a gun and shot him.
She agrees that the guy whose car is being towed is totally in the wrong, but adds:
That having been said, if you’re the repo guy, do you think this would be any comfort to your family if you got killed? Not really. You can be 100% in the right, dead right, and still be just as dead as if you were wrong. This man narrowly escaped death, but only through dumb luck and not skill.
Check it out.
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