
People who work in forensics and conduct autopsies for a living inhabit a facet of life most of us would prefer to keep out of mind most days.
But someone has to do it.
Not surprisingly, those who've agreed to determine countless causes of death and piece together the details of so many people's final moments have some stories.
And a recent Reddit thread asked them to share those tales.
Redditor MimBim asked:
"Forensics and people involved with managing the deceased, what's the weirdest cause of death you have come across?"
Many shared the intriguing--and upsetting--freak accidents they've discovered. Life is a game of inches, people.
Stars Misaligned
"A girl that went to my primary school went to warm her car up in the winter and after starting it slipped on some ice and knocked herself out."
"She landed adjacent to the tailpipe and expired due to carbon monoxide poisoning."
Horrifying
"Had a sad one where a guy tried to hang himself from the 3rd floor balcony. The rope broke and he fell and impaled himself on fence spikes."
"A lady walking her dog hours later thought he was a gruesome Halloween decoration until she noticed leakage from the poor guy."
"Security camera footage from across the street showed he was alive for a while before he bled out"
Tougher Times Back Then
"My great great grandmother died after being cut nearly in half by a lumber saw in the 1930s. She was wearing a scarf or something when she took her son (my great grandfather) some lunch and her scarf became caught on the saw and pulled her down."
"They turned off the saw quickly enough and she lived for a while afterwards ("a while" here meaning hours or days, I can't recall, but less than a week). My understanding is she walked to the car that drove her to the hospital, but there was obviously nothing they could do for her."
In a Flash
"I work in forensics from an engineering and product design aspect. A man was using a large handheld wet saw (imagine an oversized circular saw) to cut a 3' diameter concrete sewer pipe that was suspended using two sawhorses."
"When he finished the cut, the pipe fell and pinched the saw blade between the two pieces, causing the saw to flip around quickly and sever off his own head."
Pinned Down
"I transcribed police reports and remember one call that was pretty terrible. A husband and wife were in a hot tub. It was a smaller one. The man must have gotten out and then when he tried to get back in he fell head first on top of her."
"His weight pushed her down so the water covered her nose and mouth. He must have been too heavy for her to lift up. A neighbor saw his feet sticking in the air and called police. They both drowned."
-- Elocinyls
Two Very Different Stories
"Paramedic here. Had a few. Homeless guy climbs into a recycling clothes bin to retrieve warm jackets in the winter and it had one of those barrel type drawers. He got stuck by his head on the way out and was strangled. Weirdest thing was walking up to him across a supermarket carpark and he was just looking up at the sky but with a frost covered face."
"Also had somebody die in front of a warm electric fire and wasn't found for 2 days. The guy was cooked like a roast chicken."
-- mrbounce74
Quite the Sequence
"Not a person who deals directly with the dead, but as a genealogist, I look at a LOT of death certificates, so I sometimes come across unusual and surprising causes of death. A rather well-known one is George Spencer Millet, who died in 1909. His headstone literally says:"
" 'Lost life by stab in falling on ink eraser, evading six young women trying to give him birthday kisses in office Metropolitan Life Building' "
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-kissed-to-death
"I've personally uncovered many more, but it's hard to top that one."
Things Where They Don't Belong
"The man who got very drunk, somehow managed to get his 4-wheeler onto his roof, and then proceeded to launch himself off. Darwin took over after that."
"The person who died while asleep after a small airplane crashed into their bedroom"
Chefs Share Major Red Flags To Look For While Out To Eat | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Workplace Hazards
"Not in forensics or anything to do with the deceased but, if you're looking for a weird death, I have an interesting one from my genealogy research. A third great uncle of mine was a "driver" for the New York & Harlem Railroad in the 1870s - a time when horses were used to pull cars on rails in Manhattan, much like trollies."
"His death certificate states that he was kicked in the abdomen by a horse attached to a freight car. He succumbed to peritonitis 3 weeks later because the kick ruptured an old inguinal hernia. A long, slow way to die."
Others chose to recount the strange deaths caused by intoxication.
Hit Twice
"This guy was alive when he came in, though died later. He came into hospital with no legs below the knee and the top of his head missing."
"Turned out he was on his way home, drunk from the pub, and fell asleep on some train tracks whilst taking a short-cut. The train cut off his legs, then spun him around and cut off the top of his head."
"He died whilst in hospital but he lived for a bit, which is amazing. The paramedics brought his legs into hospital in a plastic bucket."
The Exact Wrong Position
"We had a family friend who was an alcoholic who blacked out and died of asphyxiation. Official cause of death was 'unconsciousness forced victim into a position incompatible with life'."
"When clarification was sought they said she passed out and fell into a position that prevented her from breathing. I did not know that was possible."
-- LOUDCO-HD
They Tried Their Best
"Not a forensic person, but a friend of mine went drinking at a bar. His got piss drunk and the bartender rightfully took his motorcycle keys away. He lived just a few blocks away."
"When the bar closed, he stumbled toward home, fell in a ditch and drown in the inch of water that was in that ditch from the rain that came down."
-- MizzGee
Lethal Munchies
"Not in forensics, but in healthcare. Saw a guy that got so high he decided to go into the freezer and start eating a bunch of frozen raw chicken."
"Ended up dying choking on it."
-- kristaz12
Finally, a couple people shared stories of truly bizarre murder mysteries.
An Unruly Weapon
"A teaching case: Death by bull"
"A woman was found dead in a pasture, trampled by a bull. Well, if you underestimate cattle, that can happen. But she was the farmer's wife, so she knew the animal was aggressive, and everyone else in the village knew that too."
"The neighbors also said he was never kept in that pasture because you couldn't see all of it at once. Yep, the farmer murdered his wife with a bull as the weapon. Put him in the pasture without her knowing, then sent her out there for some errand."
-- SillyOldBat
A Morbid Trophy
"We had a guy that died from multiple stab wounds to the chest, which isn't all that weird, except the wounds were all oddly shaped. It turned out that the guy recently divorced his wife because she developed a massive meth addiction and had moved out because she was psychotic."
"But she found out where he lived, broke in and stabbed him to death in his sleep. The guy was an avid collector of weird, goofy fantasy knives, one of which was used in his murder. His ex-wife decided to keep the knife afterward and was arrested when the knife and his blood were found in her kitchen sink."
-- allenidaho
Here's hoping you all die old, of old age, sitting comfortably on the couch.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
We are in a fragile place right now when it comes to bringing children into this world.
Not everybody is meant to be a parent.
In fact, many people should never be one.
So I find it commendable how many of us acknowledge that and chose not to procreate.
Redditorucinangel wanted to everyone to vent about why children are a "no thank you" in their book of life. They asked:
"What is the biggest reasons why you don’t want children?"
I have never wanted children. Best decision ever. But y'all do you if you feel differently. How do we feel?
Restless
"I like sleep too much."
CrinkleCutWotsit
"I took two naps today.. definitely couldn't do that with kids."
yawnfactory
The Unquittable
"I don’t want to be a parent."
ConnieLingus24
"This is reason enough."
Move4me
"I am a parent. One of my friends told me she didn’t want kids and said she hoped she hadn’t offended me by saying so. I said absolutely not, no one who doesn’t want to be a parent should be one. It’s an unquittable job. You have to want it for the long term."
lohype
Freedom
"I don't want kids because they're expensive and I don't have any free time. I have yet to break it to them though. Maybe after soccer practice tonight."
discostud1515
"I miss having free time. I can't hang out with friends last minute after work because I have to pick up my kid and feed her and get her to bed."
Detronyx
The Mess
"It can really wreck you physically and emotionally. Even if it's an easy pregnancy, your whole body/hormonal makeup changes wildly. People act like it's 9 months of sitting in a field, making flower crowns and serenely stroking your growing belly."
"Nah bro, it's mood swings, having your guts kicked from the inside, your hair changes, eyesight might change, all kinds of crap I had no idea about until my friends started popping out kids. Like I knew it was intense before, but I had no idea how intense."
outerspaceteatime
HOT AF!!
"A two person income with no children is too sexy to pass up on."
TheOllieTrollie
Kids are EXPENSIVE! I like $$$ too much as well.
DNA
"I'm barely capable of taking care of myself, so I definitely shouldn't be responsible for a child. I also think it would be a crime to make a child using my DNA."
Maintenance_Person
"I commend this sentiment so much, and I wish more people would follow. My brother is 40 years old and never had kids, simply stating he knows he wouldn't be capable of taking care of them. There's so many unwanted kids in this world because people don't think this through before having them."
UrsulaVanTentacles
High Anxiety
"I got a cat and the amount of anxiety and panic I regularly have over being responsible for an animal that doesn't need to be taught to walk is nuts."
NortheasternWind
"I don’t even have any pets, but I watch my sisters dog and a friends cat every few weeks, and the amount of time I spent staring at them when they’re sleeping to make sure they’re still breathing is too high."
are_u_sure_aboutthat
Poor us...
"I grew up poor so u bet ur a** I'm enjoying my money not having to worry about diapers and baby formula."
HeadAd9745
"I feel this so much. I was the kid who never had the money to go to the movies or the concert or whatever it was my friends wanted to do. I make decent money but am so stuck in poverty mindset I'm terrified to spend it and I genuinely don't feel like I will ever feel financially stable enough to feel comfortable supporting a kid."
bgood_xo
Best ideas
"Wouldn't make a good parent. I'm 56. I don't see myself changing my mind on this one."
Varna_av_Vargarna
"My older brother got a vasectomy at like 27, no kids. He knew it was a very good idea. I actually agreed (I have three myself, he, ummm, probably wouldn't have been a killer dad). They're not for everybody, and you have to really spoil 'em if you expect a decent nursing home someday."
mcarterphoto
Kids aren't for everybody. That is truth and that's ok.
Americans Break Down What Tourists Should Know When Visiting The U.S. For The First Time
When visiting any place for the first time you want to do your best with the locals and the culture.
You're a guest.
Whether it's someone'e home or if it's as vast as the scope of the entire country.
You want to experience all you can while being respectful.
So let's discuss hitting up America for the first time.
RedditorPraglikwanted to share some must knows for the people whole and visit our land.They asked:
"Americans of Reddit, what's something anyone visiting the US for the first time absolutely must know about or be aware of?"
Welcome to America. A few beginner rules...
No Money
"Do not under any circumstances try to bribe a cop depending on where you come from that might seem odd but trust me you will get in trouble if you try."
DanHN2002
Stay Seated
"Don't get out of your car if you're pulled over by the police unless directed to do so. Police here take their own safety very seriously so they may see someone quickly getting out of the car as a sign of aggression. Coupled with the fact they carry guns and generally don’t have a track record of deescalation, it’s possible you might get shot."
bboe
Cold as...
"Drinks come with ice by default."
RoofedSpade
"And refills! Soda is cheap as hell. No one's coming to pour it into a glass for you, it's made on the spot and you can have as much as you want."
sckurvee
"And everybody wants to put lemon in them but they never wash the lemons you have to ask specifically for no lemon in your water."
WolfThick
Extra
"If the price says for example $5, you need to be aware that is $5 plus taxes."
Mariuxpunk007
"Plus extra recycling taxes on plastic water bottles in certain states (like California) So that pack of water bottles listed for $3 will cost over $5 after taxes."
BobbiestofDs
"That’s literally false advertising. If a product is advertised (say on television) at a certain price, that’s how much you pay."
Arkady2009
Tip. Tip. Tip. And tip properly. 20%.
Eat Up
"24 hour Diners. According to stuff I read in Reddit, our diners are legendary. ETA: I’m American and I eat at them a lot. I was just surprised how much visitors from other countries love our diners so much."
Revolutionary-Tree18
Road Issues
"I think it’s really funny that the CA DMV official drivers manual says, 'do NOT make eye contact with another driver, this will make them MORE angry.'"
oof-floof
"If you screw up while driving put your hand up as a way to say sorry/my bad to the other driver. It diffuses situations because it shows them you didn’t mean to do that. Many times drivers think something was intentional when really it’s just human error."
pantsRrad
"I live in SoCal, and the Los Angeles area has the most brutally aggressive drivers I know. Sure, other countries like Vietnam etc. are a free for all, but Los Angeles drivers literally want you dead."
User Deleted
Don't Listen
"The CD is not free, never accept something from someone on a street."
Portland-to-Vt
"People will follow you around and thrust the CD (usually their mixtape) in your hand and then as you’re walking away with a CD you didn’t even ask for they start telling you you need to pay for it and then they refuse to accept the CD back so they make you pay for it or they keep harassing you. Happened to me in Venice beach."
rosiegirl8903
Nature Hunt
"GO TO NATIONAL PARKS!"
AmIADelusionalArtist
"But be respectful! Our parks are beautiful, but often dangerous! Stick to set paths, look up local wildlife, and get an idea of common dangers. A park in the northeast will have drastically different dangers than Utah. And always have plenty of water with you. States often have very gorgeous state parks, too."
whichwitch9
break the chain
"Do not eat exclusively at chain restaurants then go home and talk about how American food sucks."
Mastr_Blastr
So much to do and see. What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
The world is full of crazy people.
It feels like that more and more as I meander in my local shopping center.
But a little crazy I can deal with.
I want to discuss the people who leave an imprint of fear.
The people who lack empathy, remorse... and a soul.
You met many of those?
Redditor playmesomethinnice wanted to see who would fess up and discuss the person or persons that leave us shook.They asked:
"What type of people are you scared of?"
No Sense
"It's a bit hard to categorize, but for me it's people who can't be reasoned with."
Existent-Being42
"Like flat earthers. I met one in the wild last summer and it was the weirdest experience. My friend slept with him anyway and I'm still mad at her for it, like don't reward him????"
Sapphire_Bombay
True Psycho
"People who are manipulative liars. Who get you to care about them and then play the victim just to watch you suffer."
ExcellentSnake
"This. It scarred me so much I lost faith and trust in humanity. I was not the target but I’ve seen it with my eyes on a dear friend of mine."
Jona_cc
"Had an ex who lied about having cancer and a twin sister who died in a car wreck, makes no sense to me we were in high school at the time lol."
DirtySquirties
Anything
"There is an odd category of people who seem to be able to get away with anything they do. May it be with their looks, skills, wits, power and everything in between. Them. I'm afraid of them."
ily-bc-yes
"My ex husband is this type. I witnessed him get away with crimes, and not just get away like not get caught... like he got caught, went to court, and somehow convinced the prosecution and judge to drop all charges. It was at that moment I knew real fear from that man."
jokersmile27
Lacking in Brain
"The dangerously stupid. F**king up and hurting others but come out unharmed to sheer luck."
KingZaneTheStrange
"Oh like my father in law who was torching weeds right by his shed that then caught fire and spread to an electrical box, deck, tree, and outdoor bar and then laughed about it cause 'I did something just like this at our old house too.'"
dawgthebountyhunter4
Certain
"I don't remember who said it but, 'It's not the people that are unsure that bother me, it's the people that are so certain that scare the hell out of me.'"
Mo_Jack
It's all about sanity levels. Or lack thereof.
Fuses
"People with a short temper."
SuvenPan
"I would add people with a short and unpredictable temper. Those kinds of people who can be totally fine one second, then you do something that doesn't even cross your mind could be 'wrong' and suddenly they're yelling at you. People who explode at seemingly random stuff, no consistency, and particularly at moments you wouldn't expect."
"That's the worst. I'm not particularly used to being yelled at and I'm also rather non-confrontational, so I just don't know what to do when someone does yell at me when I'm absolutely not expecting it. Those people scare the sh*t out of me. I'm constantly on edge when I'm around them and I always feel like I have to walk on eggshells."
ElsaKit
Refusal
"People who refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes."
Silly-Goose-is-Loose
"They think it keeps them out of trouble, failing to recognize it causes so much more trouble for them in long run. A former friend of mine seems to have their brain constantly working on writing excuses for everything (to the point they can't keep their owns tory straight much of the time)."
"With the idea that any decision they make has to be the fault of others. They convince themselves that their every move was beyond their control and they were forced into it by others and then if they still suffer consequences they think it just means they are the victim of injustice. Tragically failing to realize they effectively deprive themselves of any control over the decisions."
QueenElsaArrendelle
Unacceptable...
"People who who are unwilling to accept the limits of their knowledge."
adrunktherapist
"I hate that my limits are there. I want to know more. And I wake up in the middle of the night wondering about James Joyce books and the NASCAR jeopardy questions I don't know."
"My boss hates me but said I'm the only person who is the best on all the machines. I suck at people, but I'm the machine whisperer. I'm the skinny *itch who can tell an autoclave to behave. A DSD to suck it up Sally. I'll even help the front desk with Bob Marley printer."
"Because he be jamming, not my job, but I have a personal vendetta against that machine. I fixed a Gameboy that was sitting in water for 2 weeks. Nintendo does make them good. Yet, I cannot for the life of me can't use an automatic car. Stick or nothing."
hyperfat
Be Scared
"Be scared of the man who has nothing to lose. Be very scared."
sourceshrek
"With money diminishing more people are feeling trapped and in a corner."
novA69Chevy
I believe I've met all of those people. God help me.
There are just some people who need a good, spiteful talking to.
The amount of poor behavior I witness on the daily is astonishing.
How are we like this in these modern times?
Instead of serving shame, we're serving justice for improper deeds.
Be a better human.
Redditor ValenFrost wanted to share what people need a little bit of bad spotlight. They asked:
"What do you think people actually deserve to be shamed for?"
I shame anyone who doesn't use a turn signal.
Gross
"Leaving pee on the toilet seat when you have guests."
EmeraldDouchebag69
Stay with the truth...
"Knowingly spreading lies about someone."
GolgiApparatus1
"My life was legitimately destroyed by someone knowingly spreading lies about me. I’d been in a new town just a few weeks. It’s been almost 10 years and I still can’t make friends and my kids still have issues with their friends being allowed to hang out with them over it. All over something that never happened."
pain1994
Don't Toss It
"Littering."
EveFluff
"I remember when I was a kid this guy in a 7/11 threw trash on the ground and another little girl looked at him and said 'you're littering' in that you're in trouble voice. And the guy just said something along the lines of 'I'm an adult, it's ok.'"
wanawanka
Nasty
"Entitled rudeness."
Tobybrent
"Ummmm so I’ve had a work training that I planned, for MONTHS, and we already had to move the training once because of an internal work crisis. The training was moved to today. It's in an hour."
"This morning alone, 4 people have asked me to move it and they’ve known the training date for months. It’s so disrespectful. Moving the training from our previous date was a $500 fine, and if you can’t make it, that’s on you. Your poor planning does not constitute an emergency on my behalf."
KMKO926
First Be Better
"Selfishness that harms others."
5s-are-cool
"I think most of us do in some ways. Hopefully people might decide to try harder at minimizing the harm we do while surviving and entertaining ourselves and others."
5s-are-cool
Humans really need to be better.
Wait your turn...
"Trying to skip a line."
Tankisfreemason
"A lady came up to me once, asking to skip 30 people in line to buy a banana for her crying daughter at Disney, and I told her I can't speak for all 30 people behind me."
MrGurns
"Especially a traffic line where it is going one way and you get every other 15 vehicles behind that will go to the middle lane just cut in line to wait behind even more traffic."
SirGamer247
Not Always Right
"Being entitled and treating customer service workers badly."
potatopride999
"I work in a restaurant and my boss will argue with you and kick you out if you don't behave, downright telling people they are the worst people are so surprised every time they get told to leave after insulting a staff member."
Jesteress
"I dealt with this hard during the early days of the pandemic at Gamestop. When we got crappy no-mask customers when I was working with my friends, we would be rude right back and borderline harass them out of the store. The next several customers would always praise us for not taking s**t. Everyone hates crappy customers, including other customers."
Dr_prof_Luigi
Faults
"Finding the fault in others while ignoring the same fault in yourself."
idrinkkombucha
"An unfortunate truth is that a lot of adults stop emotionally maturing when they’re still children. When we’re kids, we can’t really imagine that there are adults who are less mature than us, but it’s actually depressingly common. Something stunts their ability to mature and then they’re just stuck with the emotional maturity of a teenager."
"They develop physical skills just like everyone else, and seem to live successful lives. They have careers and homes and families. But they also can’t connect with people on a deep level, lack the ability to introspect (so they can’t handle any criticism of themselves), and they can’t grow as people. It’s very sad."
eggjacket
“what the hell dude?”
"Animal abusers."
rfantasy7
"I watched someone try to run over a cat with their car in the Walmart parking lot, like 3 times. It was 2 am and they were speeding and swerving trying to hit the cat. Poor thing was running away terrified. I got out of my car and shrugged at them like 'what the f**k dude?' and they drove off."
"Tried to give the cat food and be nice to it but it wouldn’t come near, I think it’s just going to be terrified forever."
"Edit: I don’t understand it at all. I can at least conceptualize evil for the sake of personal gain, but what do you get from trying to murder a cat? It’s evil for the sake of evil and it’s freaking sick."
BrokenEffect
Savage
"Listening to music from their phone without using earphone in a public place."
SuvenPan
Well all of those people deserve a little shame. Some... A LOT of shame! What is wrong with people?