There are millions of things that can kill you. That’s not exactly an uplifting way to start a story, but the more aware we are, the more we can do to avoid it. These are some of the strangest ways to meet your maker, all of which record anywhere from dozens to hundreds of thousands of deaths every single year.
Stairs
Over 1,000 deaths occur every year as a result of stairs. This is perhaps one of the least surprising ones as it’s fairly easy to see how someone can stumble to their death. But to make matters worse, there are several deaths a year from escalators and two to three times that from elevators. Add the risk of falling out of windows, being trapped in a burning building or dying from a collapsing fire escape, and it’s safe to assume that we should all move to ground floor apartments or live in bungalows.
It’s worth noting, however, that a trip or fall on a short flight of stairs could actually be lucrative. Get yourself a lawyer for serious injury and you could be cashing in, as people are suing from the US to the UK for falling down stairs. And you thought only the US were that litigious!
Trees
One of nature’s biggest weapons: trees. They kill hundreds of people all over the world every year, more than 100 of which are in the United States. Most minor and serious injuries, of which there are thousands, are the result of people falling out of trees after climbing them, while deaths tend to be the result of trees falling on people, properties and power lines.
Home Appliances
In the US, nearly 3,000 home fires are started every year from dryers, while thousands more are started from toasters, heaters, hair straighteners and more. Making sure to monitor these devices at all times and turn them off when they are no longer in use could drastically reduce the risk of injury and death.
Grapes and Hotdogs
Not only does it sound like the worst meal combination ever, but it could be one of the deadliest as grapes and hotdogs are said to have taken the lives of over 2,000 children in the first 14 years of the new millennium. Candy is also a big killer, but while parents are seemingly aware of the threat caused by grapes and candy, they are unaware of hotdogs, which are the biggest threat of all.
These reconstituted slabs of meat are the perfect size for lodging in children’s windpipes, with every bite creating a miniature bullet that puts the child at risk. So, don’t give your kids hotdogs. Worst case scenario, they choke. Best case scenario, they swallow it. Either way, it’s not good.
Tiredness
Lack of sleep kills. Not directly. Unless you starve yourself of sleep for days on end then you’re probably not at risk of instant death. Probably. However, you are drastically increasing the risk of dying from traffic accidents and other accidents, with statistics putting the total number of fatalities from tired driving at more than 1,500 in the US alone.
It’s akin to driving drunk and as with drunk driving, it’s not just your life that’s at risk. So if you wouldn’t get behind the wheel when drunk then don’t do it when tired.
