Death by Misadventure: 210 Dumb Ways to Die by Dale Dreher

Death By Misadventure:
210 Dumb Ways To Die

    Dale Dreher

    Published by Dale Dreher at Smashwords
Copyright 1999 Dale Dreher
All Rights Reserved

    Table of Contents
    For eword
    Chapter 1
– Criminal Stupdity
    Chapter 2 –
Drugs & Alcohol
    Chapter 3 – Deathstyles of the Rich and
Famous
    Chapter 4 –
Love & Paraphilia
    Chapter 5 –
Snakes, UFO’s & Other Nonsense
    Chapter 6 –
Dares, Games & Jokes
    Chapter
7 – Stupidity on the Job
    Chapter 8 –
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
    Chapter 9 –
Do It Yourself
    Chapter 10
– Death Sports
    Chapter 11
– Death Takes a Holiday
    Chapter 12 –
Deadly Pets
    Bibliography

    Foreword
    The World Health Organization reports that almost 3 million people die in
accidents each year, accounting for almost 6% of all deaths in the
world. Of this number about 900,000 die in car accidents. Work
accidents claimed the lives of another 200,000. The remaining 1.9
million people die from fires, falls, drowning, poisoning,
suffocation, fire arms and other unintentional injuries.
    According to the U.S. National Safety
Council , unintentional injury is the
5 th leading cause of death among persons of all ages. For people
aged 1 to 38, accidents are the No. 1 cause of death. Statistics
also show that men are twice as likely to die from unintentional
injuries than are women.
    This book contains examples of the most preventable kind of
accidental deaths -- deaths by misadventure. The fatal accidents
presented here have all been reported in newspapers or other media.
They are the more unusual examples of dumb ways people die. They
are accidents of arrogance, stupidity or complete
recklessness.
    I have collected these stories with two purposes in mind – to
inform and to entertain. I have tried to keep the tone ironic but
respectful. I hope one reader, one day, might think twice before
diving in unfamiliar water, driving while intoxicated, or … making
love to a backhoe!

    Dale Dreher
Toronto

    Criminal
Stupidity
    1. You First, Greg. Gregory
Cohen, 18, died attempting to break in to a grade school. Instead
of smashing a door or window, Gregory and his two pals decided to
enter through a furnace exhaust vent. Gregory managed to get 6 feet
down the narrow shaft before he succumbed to the carbon monoxide
fumes and intense heat. Greg's two accomplices fled on bicycles
after calling police and pointing the way to the
shaft. Toronto Star, April 5,
1993
    2. Calling Dr. Pepper. Between
1981 and 1988, 11 people in the United States died while tipping
soft drink machines. The accidents occur while people rock the
machines in attempts to dislodge coins or cans. Many such machines
are top heavy and can weigh as much as 1,000
pounds. Winnipeg Free Press, July 19,
1988
    3. Thelma and Dan Duk Thieu. In
the early hours of a spring morning, a suburban youth's joy ride in
a stolen Dodge Caravan ended fatally when he drove off the
Scarborough Bluffs on Lake Ontario. Police recovered the
17-year-old's body from between the middle and back seats of the
locked vehicle at the bottom of the 200 ft. drop. One can only
suspect that Dan mistook the Caravan for a Magic
Wagon. Toronto Star, April 19,
1995
    4. Probably His Butt, Officer. After a night of drinking, Christian Robichaud tried to break
into his neighbor’s apartment by climbing across the balconies. He
was startled when confronted by his elderly neighbor. Trying to
flee, he plunged 17 stories to his death. "I just heard a 'pat'",
said Robichaud's intended victim. The responding Detective
concluded, "It's death by misadventure, it was an accidental fall.
I just wonder what was going through his head on the way
down." Toronto Star, January 25,
1996
    5. [.23 (7 x 32)   1 + 2,000,000] x 9 / 5 =
0. On a hot July night in 1985,
32 year old Ana Garcia and six friends broke into a
closed municipal pool in the Bronx, New York. Garcia drowned and
was later found to have a blood alcohol level of .23 percent,
twice the legal limit. Garcia's family later won a $2