by Dale Dreher
San Jose Mercury News, February 27, 1995
146. Death on the Rails.
The body of a 65 to 70-year-old man was found when a coal train dumped its 110-ton load of Montana coal in Brainerd, Minnesota. The drifter’s effects included several hundred dollars in cash, but no identification. Cause of death was listed as a “crushed aorta”.
Saint Paul Pioneer Press, August 11, 1993
147. Stream of Conductivity.
A former medical examiner of New York City used to tell colleagues about an apparent subway suicide in which the body was badly mangled. Witnesses saw the young man suddenly fall forward onto the tracks before an approaching train. The Irish-Catholic parents of the deceased young man could not accept that their son had killed himself. Upon re-examination, the coroners found burn marks on the man’s penis, right thumb and index finger. They concluded that the young man was urinating on the subway tracks from the platform when his stream reached the electrified third-rail. Urine contains many salts and therefore conducts electricity better than water. The electricity may have killed the young man before he was hit by the train.
Dead Men Do Tell Tales, 1994
148. Escalator to Heaven.
Darryl Jackson, 37, of Washington D.C. was strangled when his coat and T-shirt got stuck in a subway escalator. There was nothing mechanically wrong with the escalator. An official explained, "It's pretty difficult actually to get a coat ... especially on the upper part of your body, caught in the steps... without you either physically lying on the escalator or sitting down on the escalator."
Associated Press, March 12, 1997
149. Self Defeating Argument.
Fay Greene, 14, did not want to visit family friends and let her mother know it. Fay continued the dispute with her mother while they motored to their destination in the English countryside. The disagreement was settled when Fay left the family van while the vehicle was still moving at the posted speed. The teenager died within minutes from massive head injuries.
Times of London, April 15, 1995
150. Hoosier Shenanigans.
James McIntosh, 20, made good on a dare to touch a train passing through Mishawaka, Indiana. However, McIntosh was so focussed on touching the eastbound train that he did not notice the 115 car westbound train approaching on the very same tracks on which he was standing. The engineer derailed some of the cars while braking in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid killing McIntosh.
Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1993
151. Flying Frigid Air.
Terrence Reynolds, 34, a Toledo housing contractor died after stowing away on an airplane. Instead of continuing on a planned Bahama vacation, Reynolds climbed into the landing gear compartment of a plane bound for Germany. Despite the fact that he was wearing a down filled parka and thermal underwear, authorities believe Reynolds froze to death. The temperature at 33,000 feet is well below freezing. Reynolds' body was found on the tarmac a few minutes after the plane landed in Frankfurt. Although Reynolds was recently divorced and was awaiting sentencing for passing bad cheques, his family did not think Reynolds was suicidal and was surprised by the bizarre accident. According to his brother, Reynolds, "always talked about wanting to see Europe."
Associated Press, January 9, 1986
152. Just Let Go!
Ronald Weed, 65, died when his car door slammed on his head. The Bay Point, California resident was pushing his stalled car when the car started to roll faster than Weed could run. Weed hung on to the driver door and the floor of the car as he was dragged off the road. The open door hit a tree and smashed into Weed's head causing fatal injuries.
Contra Costa Times, June 28, 1997
153. Dumber than a Locomotive.
Ryan Pennington, 18, and a few friends in Buena Park, California, wanted to see what it was like to stand within inches of a fast moving train. Unfortunately for Pennington, he lost his balance and fell in front of the 200 ton locomotive as it was screeching to an emergency stop. A railroad spokesperson lamented, "There are suicides, people playing chicken with trains – we've seen people foolishly jogging down the middle of the tracks with a Walkman radio on. We've even seen people lay down between the rails to prove to friends at a party that a fast moving train rolling over them won't kill them... they wind up dead."
Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1994
154. Tube Surfing.
In the late eighties, an English coroner warned the London subway to take precautions against "tube surfing", after the death of an 18 year old who was killed riding on the side of a subway car. The daredevil sport apparently originated on the commuter trains of Rio de Janiero where it has killed an estimated 150 young people.
Independent, December 1, 1988
155. Wrongway Chang.
Leo Chang, 49, of Rockville, Maryland, managed to drive for at least one mile in the wrong direction on Washington DC's Capital Beltway before slamming head on into a van. Chang was killed instantly in the early morning crash. The other driver suffered a broken pelvis. "It was only a matter of a few seconds before I realized that someone's in my lane coming towards me... there was little or no time to react. I feel fortunate to be alive." The death was the third accident within three weeks caused by someone travelling the wrong way on a major DC area highway. Chang was the only fatality.
Washington Post, March 30, 1997
Do It Yourself
156. Fatal Phobia.
Sixty three year old London accountant, Arthur Spears, was so fearful of hospitals that he performed surgery on himself. Spears inserted an 18 inch piece of wire into his bladder in an attempt to relieve the pain he had been experiencing while urinating. The coroner observed, "Unfortunately this drastic remedy went wrong. It caused infection in his bladder and led to his death when a simple operation would have solved the problem."
Reuters, December 1, 1994
157. Do Not Adjust Your Set.
Five Quebec City residents were electrocuted while installing TV antennae in two separate incidents on September 14, 1991. Madame Bernier watched in horror as her husband, son, nephew, and a young neighbour were killed when the 50 foot tower they were installing fell against a live wire. Meanwhile, Robert Gauthier, 49, was electrocuted when his ladder came in contact with a wire carrying 59,000 volts.
Vancouver Sun, September 16, 1991
158. Joan Crawford Vindicated.
Assistant Chef, Peter Guttoso, 20, killed himself with a coat hanger. He was trying to free his car's jammed antenna, when the wire hanger he was using slipped, stabbing him in the face, just below the eye. Guttoso soon developed blurred vision and was declared brain dead the following day. The coroner said that Guttoso died of an "inter cerebral hematoma". The stab wound caused massive internal bleeding in his brain, shutting down vital bodily functions. Guttoso's family donated his heart, lungs and kidneys to waiting transplant recipients.
Miami Herald, January 12, 1995
159. At Death's Door.
James Christiana, 47, was strangled by his garage door. Christiana was trying to repair the door by himself when his T shirt got caught in the main spring, causing him to lose balance and fall from his ladder. Christiana's 65 year old mother responded to his screams by handing him a pair of scissors. Christiana was unable to free himself and was dead by the time neighbors could get him down.
Miami Herald, December 21, 1984
160. Jackgas Tragedy.
Amateur auto mechanic Ezzart Aboul Housn, 30, was killed by the improper placement of his car jack. First, Aboul Housn was crushed when the jack slipped and pierced his car's gas tank. Then, the leaking gas was ignited by his work light causing an explosion that incinerated Aboul Housn and set his house afire.
Miami Herald, May 22, 1982
161. Amateur Chiropractor.
California Ironworker Michael Paul, 42, routinely cracked his neck whenever he felt a kink. He did the same thing after church one Sunday, but soon felt ill and was comatose by the time his brother drove him to a hospital. Pau
l died after 12 days in a coma. The Coroner said that the crack severed one of the main arteries to Paul’s brain, killing a section of his cerebellum and brain stem.
Akron Beacon-Journal, January 20, 1996
162. Ph.Dead.
Education expert, Dr. Joseph Miller, died trying to jump-start his truck. Miller informed his office that he would be late then set to charging his truck’s battery with another car in his garage. Miller’s wife found his body slumped over in the seat of the second car some seven hours later. The cause of Miller’s death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Charlotte Observer, February 21, 1993
163. Ad for Triple A.
Terry Roach, 43, was choked to death by her car. Terry was pushing her disabled car to a gas station from behind the open driver's side door. She pushed into a parked car, causing the door to close on her neck strangling her.
San Jose Mercury News, July 16, 1990
164. External Combustion.
Allen Ingram, 17, was at a bonfire party when he decided to check the contents of his motorcycle’s gas tank. The bike slipped from his grasp spilling gasoline on Ingram and the bonfire. The flames engulfed Ingram and caused the bike to explode. Ingram suffered 3rd degree burns to 90% of his body and died from his injuries.
Charlotte Observer, April 18, 1992
165. More Like, Get Smart.
French teenager, Romain Laine, 17, was a big fan of the TV show McGuyver. The title character always managed to save the day by fashioning fantastic devices from ordinary objects. Laine killed himself in 1992 with a homemade bomb. His mother blamed the French TV network that broadcast the series and sued the company for manslaughter.
New York Times, November 30, 1993
166. Bird Dropping.
Stefan Macko, 55, died cleaning out his bird feeder. Macko fell 23 stories to his death when the chair he was standing on rolled out from under him. Unable to regain his balance, Macko fell over his balcony railing.
San Jose Mercury News, May 18, 1993
167. Killer Cardigan.
An 80 year old blind organist and piano tuner was strangled to death by his sweater. The man was working alone at his home in Bourges, France, when a thread from his sweater got tangled in the power drill he was using.
Agence France Presse, June 5, 1992
168. Ignore this Warning.
On January 5, 1997, Chuck Yazell, 26, of Nicholas County, Kentucky, joined a long list of people nuked by their own microwaves. Yazell was working on the unplugged appliance when he was electrocuted by the charge stored by the appliance's capacitor. In 1990, after 11 similar deaths, a national safety alert was issued and all ovens now bear prominent labels warning people not to repair the appliances themselves. Nevertheless, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 10 people have been killed since 1994 in similar accidents, which also results in over 7,000 visits to American emergency rooms every year.
Lexington Herald Leader, January 8, 1997
169. Gulf War Casualty.
Korean War veteran, Ronald Kline, 52, died demonstrating his support for American troops in the Persian Gulf. Kline was putting the finishing touches on his new 25 foot high flagpole next to his hilltop mobile home in California. The pole snapped sending Kline and his ladder for a 50 foot fall down the hillside. Kline later succumbed to the internal injuries he sustained.
Los Angeles Times, January 16, 1991
170. Poor Sleeper.
Brian Kearney, 26, was planning to replace his waterbed's plastic liner the following morning when he went to sleep beside the new sheet of plastic. Sometime during the night he became entangled in the liner and asphyxiated himself. Authorities had ruled out the possibility of suicide because Kearney had just started a new job, decorated his Christmas tree and planned to see friends the next day.
Columbus Dispatch, December 16, 1989
171. Major Trauma.
Eric Barcia, 22, took a break from his McJob to go bungee jumping from a train bridge with a homemade bungee cord. Barcia made the cord from several of the small bungee cords sold everywhere to keep parcels on bike carriers and secure trunk lids. "The length of the cord that he had assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and the ground," a police spokesperson explained. Police expected an autopsy to confirm the cause of death as, "major trauma."
Washington Post, July 13, 1997
Death Sports
172. Ski Don't.
Late one Saturday night in January, four snowmobiling buddies drowned when their machines broke through an ice covered lake north of Toronto. One of the men, Mark Moore, 28, had just lost a machine at the same spot two weeks earlier. One officer told Moore's sister the painful truth, "He lost his life but he didn't lose his beer." The police found 9 bottles of beer in the pockets of the recovered bodies.
Toronto Star, January 23, 1996
173. Winners can be Losers.
Twenty years after claiming a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Ken Sitzberger, 38, was battling a drug habit and personal debts totaling almost $2 million when he hosted a fatal new year's party at his San Diego home. The former diving champ, described as a fierce competitor, died after he hit his head on the back of a sofa during a fight he started with a friend. Police ruled the death accidental and would only say that the cause of the friendly scuffle was not related to drugs or money.
Miami Herald, March 4, 1984
174. Tragic Temper Tantrum.
Upstate New York teenager, Jeremy Brenno, killed himself with his No. 3 wood. Brenno, 16, had just missed a shot on the 6th hole when he smashed his club against a bench. Half of the club broke off, bounced back at Brenno, and pierced his heart.
New York Times, July 11, 1994
175. Dead as a ...
Door salesman, Kenneth Pierry, 31, fell 100 ft to his death after climbing on to a railing during his first visit to Toronto's SkyDome Stadium. His friends denied that Pierry had been drinking or trying to jump from one pedestrian ramp to the next.
Toronto Star, August 14, 1992
176. Don't Try This At Home!
On New Year's Day, Vince Jorgenson, a 20 year old professional snowboarder, died in his own backyard. Jorgenson was performing tricks for his friends when he slammed chest first into his patio railing. Jorgenson died of a massive heart failure.
Toronto Star, January 4, 1997
177. Professional Stupidity.
Laura "Dinky" Patterson, 43, a "professional" bungee jumper died practicing for the Superbowl half time show. She bounced to her death in front of hundreds of volunteers (including children) who were also rehearsing. Patterson's husband and sister were also part of the bungee troupe. A stagehand with a gift for understatement told the press, "She hit her head hard."
Bradenton Herald, January 25, 1997
178. Bambi's Revenge.
Darrell Swihart, 52, bled to death on the last day of Ohio deer hunting season. His body was found amid a dozen spent shotgun shells. Apparently, Swihart fell from his lookout in a nearby tree and succumbed to his injuries after firing his gun several times to signal his distress.
Akron Beacon Journal, December 15, 1996
179. Sunday Swamp Surfing.
Teddy Hoffman, 12, died from massive head injuries while surfing shallow wetlands on a plywood board. The board was at the end of a 10 foot rope attached to a pickup truck driven by Teddy's father. Forensic experts are not sure whether Teddy's head hit the board, the road, the truck or something else.
Miami Herald, August 14, 1985
180. Unforgettable.
Ivan McGuire, 35, a skydiver with some 800 jumps under his belt, fell 10,000 feet to his death because he forgot to put on his parachute. McGuire was apparently too preoccupied with his duties videotaping a group of other skydivers to notice that he was missing the most basic equipment of the sport. In 1987, 28 of the more than 2,000,000 jumps that took place across the U.S. resulted in fatalities.
Charlotte Observer, April 11, 1988
181. Gu
ns Really Do Kill.
John Murray, 46, was killed by his Chinese lightweight semi-automatic rifle. The gun was billed as, “The Cowboy’s Companion.” Murray was loading the weapon on a table at his gun club when it started to fire several shots. Not having a proper grip on the rifle meant that Murray could not control the recoil. The gun jumped off the table firing one of the bullets into Murray’s back causing fatal injuries. The gun finally came to rest under the tire of Murray’s truck. More than two years after Murray’s death, his family agreed to a settlement of $1.4 million from the companies who imported and sold the weapon.
San Jose Mercury News, January 8, 1993
182. Dead Lift.
David Busby, 29, died trying to get into shape. Busby and a friend had just assembled a new multi-station home gym that uses heavy rubber straps to transform body weight into usable muscle building resistance. Busby began experimenting with the system after his friend left and somehow got his chest stuck between one the straps and the hardware. Busby was unable to resist the pressure for long and suffocated.
Saint Paul Pioneer Press, August 8, 1995
183. Australian Rules.
More than 20 Australians have killed themselves fishing in 1995 and 1996. Most of the deaths have been along the treacherous pacific coast of New South Wales, near Sydney. “It’s amazing how you can get carried away by fishing and just forget about the basic elements of common sense,” commented a local police officer. “You’ve got to check out the tides, the weather conditions, wear the right shoes – essential conditions like that.” Few people survive after they are swept into the ocean and dashed against the rocks by the beautiful yet deadly surf.
