What A Way To Go

Well, fancy that...

 

Thavky chaiya, 68, died in northern Thailand after eating a large amount of durian, a pungent fruit can overheat the body's metabolism. Villagers told The Nation newspaper that he suddenly called for water and then fell to the floor convulsing. He died on the way to hospital. Sydney Morning Herald, 4 June 2004.

 

A man's body was recovered from a tree last January, a year after it was first spotted by a passer-by who decided not to report it because he was wanted by the police. The body was partially hidden by leaves 40ft (12m) up the tree in Olympia , Washington state. When the passer-by returned to the area, he saw that the body was still there and called police. One detective was a tree-trimmer in his spare time and used his equipment to cut away the branches and lower the body. "right now, we just don't know a whole lot," said Thurston deputy coroner Terry Harper. "we just know it was a heck of a time getting him down."Ananova, 30 Jan 2003.

 

A Finnish restaurant employee was driving home at 4am on 11 February when he noticed that his car was rather sluggish. After a few hundred yards he stopped to investigate and found a dead man under the car. According to the police, the deceased, aged about 30, was lying under the car before it was driven off. The vehicle bore no trace of a collision. Nya Aland (Finland) - 12 February 2003.

 

Kimberley Mason, 20, was a passenger in a car driving down Frederick Street in Detroit at 2am on 18 April when a bullet crashed through the roof and hit her in the head. She died later in hospital. "It appears that it was a bullet coming down from the sky after having been fired in the air," said homicide inspector Craig Schwart. Detroit Free News, 19 April 2003.

 

Nurse Elaine Silcocks, 40, of Keelby, Humberside, died on 22 February and a post mortem revealed the cause was septic shock, directly linked with a double wound on her thigh. She had gone to bed early on St Valentine's day, complaining of pain in her left elbow and saying that she could not get warm. She was up every half-hour to be sick. In the morning, her elbow was swollen, and her husband noticed two small puncture marks about a centimetre apart on her right thigh, and jokingly asked her if she had been bitten by a vampire. She said they were old and didn't know what they were. Her GP thought they might have been an insect bite, although this was never proved. All possibilities linked with her work were ruled out. Coroner Stewart Atkinson said: "I suppose we will never know what caused the wound, because not even Elaine knew." Grimsby Telegraph, 24 May 2003

 

Indian twin sisters born in Nagda village in Madhya Pradesh 114 years ago both died on 29 May 2003 and were subsequently cremated side by side. Kali Bi Sheikh and Batul Bi Sheikh were born to Umdabai and Sultan in the village of Siya . They were married into two different families from Nagda on the same day and turned widows simultaneously. After their husbands died, they lived together. They had about 125 grandchildren and great grandchildren between them. Kali Bi fell ill and died while being taken to hospital. At roughly the same time, Batul Bi, who was sleeping at home, also breathed her last. Sify.com, Ananova, 1 June 2003.

 

Baba Jallow, 28, accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery, was beaten to death on 9 October by about 10 people in the town of Serekunda in the Gambia, nine miles (14km) from the capital Banjul. Reuters, 12 0ct 2003.

 

A factory owner with money troubles climbed on the roof of his building in central Thailand to raise a flag believed to ward off bad luck — then slipped and fell to his death. Boonchai Lotharakphong, 43, whose factory made sportswear for Nike, died when he slipped off the roof in Lopburi province, 70 miles (113km) north of Bangkok . He had been sold the flag by a Chinese fortune teller. Associated Press, 15 Nov 2003.

 

A woman was shot dead by her fiancé after she jumped out of the wardrobe to surprise him. Benjamin Kult, 25, thought 21-year-old Pang Yang was a burglar and shot her in the head with his glock handgun. The couple, from Nebraska , had announced their engagement two days earlier. Metro, 20 June 2002.

 

Three motorists were killed and dozens injured by rockslides on the road between the Russian resort cities of Adler and Krasnaya Polyana. People in the area blamed Caucasian bears, which started killing cattle by rolling rocks down the mountains and graduated to humans. Not for eating though. Vladimir Tkach, a hunter, said the creatures were attacking people on the road "just for entertainment". Independant on Sunday - 20 October 2002.

 

Every New Year, several Japanese choke to death on mochi cakes. This year the traditional seasonal sticky rice treat dispatched six old folk, aged 75 to 88, between 26 December and 3 January. Six others, aged 55 to 71, were in critical condition. One 70-year-old man in Noboribetsu was saved on 5 January by the quick thinking of his family, who whipped out his dentures and used a vacuum cleaner with the switch on 'high' to suck the mochi cake from his throat after it got stuck. Japan Times - 3 + 5 January 2001; Mainichi Interactive, Sunday Express - 7 January 2001.

 

As large crowds surged across the Jamarat bridge near the holy city of Mecca for a symbolic stoning of three giant pillars representing the Devil on 5 March, 23 women and 12 men of various nationalities were crushed or suffocated to death. By tradition, the pillars mark the spot where the Devil tried to tempt Abraham to disobey God by refusing to sacrifice his son. Abraham, his with Hagar and their son Ismail are said to have thrown stones each at the Devil. It is the duty of each of the haj's 1.8 million pilgrims to cast 21 pebbles the size of chick-peas at the pillars. The ritual must be completed by dusk. The bridge was the scene of similar stampedes in 1994 (270 killed) and in 1998 (at least 118 killed). In 1990, 1,426 haj pilgrims were crushed in a tunnel stampede. Guardian; Scotsman; Metro - 6 March

 

As a final tribute, Floyd Hightshoe spent 20 April at a cemetery in Bemidji, Minnesota, digging a grave for his mother, Stella Hightshoe, who had died the week before aged 78. He collapsed and died as he was chatting with family and friends who dropped by to keep him company as he worked. On 26 April, the 39-year-old self-employed logger was buried next to his mother in a grave dug by family and friends. Associated Press - 28 April

 

A man in his mid-50's was killed on 24 April when sharp objects in his mother's dishwasher's cutlery rack pierced his chest. The man was in Vernon, near Vancouver, visiting his mother's home after the death of his father. He was standing near the appliance when he apparently began to feel unwell and collapsed on top of the open door. Vancouver Sun - 28 April 2001.

 

Seven people died in succession while trying to rescue each other in southern China on 2 May, according to Beijing backed Wen Wei Po daily. Ding Yonghua fell into a well in a village in Baiyun district, Guangzhou. Five of his relatives, including a husband and wife, followed each other into the well, each one going down after the others failed to emerge, "not realising it was filled with odourless and colourless poison." A security guard at a nearby roadwork’s was summoned, but he too succumbed. Villagers called the police, who brought in exhaust fans and oxygen tanks, and pulled out seven bodies. AFP - 4 May

 

A man of 51 from St Austell, Cornwall, was found dead after he fell out of bed onto a bottle that shattered and slashed an artery at a hotel in Paignton, Devon. News of the World, Sunday Telegraph - 6 May 2001.

 

Gary Turpin, 36, slipped on a footpath yards from his front door in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in November 2000, landing on his back in a puddle 6in (15cm) deep. The impact sent a rush of water down his throat and the shock of it stopped his heart.

He was found dead with his nose sticking out of the water. He was a victim of an accident known as dry-drowning - responsible for 10-percent of all drowning deaths. Mr Turpin suffered from the brittle bone condition known as osteoporosis in his back. He was also an epileptic, and his fall may have been caused by a seizure. The Sun - 17 May 2001.

 

A bolt of lightning struck a metal guard rail around the municipal football stadium in Chiquimulilla, Guatamala, creating a charge which knocked everyone on the pitch off their feet.Two players, Rosbin Yuman and Lester Marrioquin, were killed and 10 others severely burned. The spectatos in the stands were unaffected. The Sun - 13 August; Queensland Times - 14 August 2001.

 

Peter John Robinson, 28, from Reefton on New Zealand's South Island, slipped on ice while walking down his back-door ramp to feed his cat, Piper, on 5 July. He hit his head on the concrete ramp, landed face down and drowned in 2.6in (4cm) of water in the plastic cat bowl which was deep enough for him to breathe the water into his lungs.

He had balance problems caused by curvature of the spine and the fact that he was born with only one ear. An artificial ear was fitted when he was 5 years old. The New Zealand Herald - 16 August 2001.

 

Leon Resnick, 31, was trying out a customized jet-propelled water bike on a lake noth of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 15 November, travelling at about 55 mph (88km/h), when he was killed in an apparent collision with a flying duck. A co-worker who was watching turned to pick up a radar gun to check Resnick's speed, and when he turned back Resnick was no longer aboard the craft. He died of a blow to his head, while the unfortunate bird's carcass was found nearby. There were feathers on the water bike's handlebars. Associated Press - 20 November 2001.

 

Christina Shire, 48, who was fit and healthy, bled to death after nicking a vein while cutting her toenail. She had probably carried out her pedicure four days before police discovered her body on 14 October 1999, surrounded by towels she used in an attempt to staunch the flow. Hornsey coroner's court in north London heard that she might have survived had she not walked around trying to clean up the blood. "Had she lain down," said a pathologist, "[the bleeding] would have stopped very quickly." Daily Telegraph - 9 March 2000

 

A Greek fisherman hauling in his nets on 17 March found the body of his son who had been missing for a month. Panagiotis Vettas, 22, fell overboard on 26 January during a fishing trip with his 60-year-old father, Giogos, southeast of Kimolos Island, 90 miles (145km) southwest of Athens. The search had been called off after a few days. Associated Press - 18 March 2000.

 

Louise Joseph, 26, from Hull, drowned on 2 April during a day out on Papabasam beach in Trivandrum, south India. With her friends Kiran Jhite and Anna Boyd, she was paddling 5ft (1.5m) into the water, which was only 8in (20cm) deep. A fierce rip tide carried them 20ft (6m) out, Kiran and Anna were rescued, but Louise was not so lucky. Daily Telegraph, Daily Express - 12 May 2000.

 

George Story featured in the inaugural issue of Life magazine 64 years ago as a newborn baby dangling by his feet. From that appearance he was known as "the Life Baby". As the magazine grew into an American institution, it continued to track its first star as he married twice, became a father and retired. He appeared in the magazine's final issue in May 2000, this time under the headline "A Life Ends". A few days after it was announced that the magazine was to fold, Mr. Story died from heart failure. It was, as the article said, "sad and altogether strange". Man and magazine had been entwined. Sunday Telegraph - 21 May 2000

 

Salesman Emmanuel Broust, 42, from Los Angeles was due to meet buyers in Tokyo, but suffered a heart attack and died in bed in the Ichi Haisin Hotel before making the appointment. For four months, staff continued to obey the "Do not disturb" sign on the door. His body was eventually found by a maid who had just started in the job and thought the room was empty. Initially, she wanted to resign in shame for having disturbed a guest. Metro - 30 June 2000.

 

On 28 June a 69-year-old man in Vögisheim near Müllheim in Germany fell off a ladder while picking cherries. He died in Freiburg hospital the following morning at the same time as a 68-year-old man in Ebringen, only 6 miles (10km) away, who fell off a ladder while picking cherries and died immediately. Der Rebland-Kurier (Müllheim) - 5 July 2000.

 

Lesley Hovvells, 39, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, known as Red Sonia because of her flaming red hair, had 118 body piercings - 28 ear studs, 13 earings, 11 belly bars through her navel, 18 other bars, six lip rings, six nose studs, and 36 body rings. She is believed to have had over 40 piercings in the year before her death. She eventually died of septicaemia and bacteria in the bloodstream when her body was "overwhelmed" by infection. She went to her local pub with friends to celebrate the Millenium Eve and collapsed at 1:30am. She died in hospital 11 days later. The Times, Daily Telegraph - 29 September 2000.

 

Greek twins born 73 years ago died almost simultaneously on 5 November. Paul Kalaitzakis, who was in a coma, died 20 minutes after his brother Anthony. They were born in the village of Agia Barbara, near Iraklion. Daily Telegraph - 6 November 2000

 

A man bled to death in New Delhi after his wife stabbed him for demanding a second cup of tea which she was not ready to serve. AFP - 17 February 1999

 

Ritsuko Yamada, 64, a Japanese woman held in custody in Narashino suspected of strangling her husband, Takashi, 60, killed herself on 6 March by ingesting "industrial quantities" of lavatory paper. She was found in critical condition and rushed to hospital, where she died of asphyxiation. Noticias (Moxambique) - 11 March 1999

 

The Broward County Medical Examiner is trying to determine the cause of death of a man found standing underwater. It appears the 47-year-old drowned in a man-made Pompano Beach lake yesterday. His body was found standing upright by a passer-by who could see the eerie sight in the clear water. Police divers say the man was fully dressed and his feet were stuck in the muck of the lake bed. They know his identity but are NOT revealing it yet. States New Service (Florida) - 8 April 1999

On 8 April a mother and her three children were picking white wood anemones in the forest of Simlangsdalen east of Halmstad, Sweden. As they returned home at about 6pm, one of the children, a seven-year-old girl, ran up a hill to pick a few more flowers.

At that moment, a boulder weighing about a ton deposited more than 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, came loose and rolled down the slope, crushing the girl to death. Expressen, Sydvenskan (Sweden) - 9 Arpil 1999

 

Efrain Gonzales, 43, was tossing trimmings from a lemon orchard into a wood chipper on Reimen's Ranch in Ventura County, California, on 22 April 1999 when he got pulled into the machine's blades and reduced to a pulp. The machine was capable of grinding trees up to 16in (40cm) in diameter. There was a safety lever, but Gonzales apparently couldn't reach it in time. It was thought one of his long sleeves got snagged in the machine. Los Angeles Time - 23 April 1999

 

Andy Connell (38), a father of four, and his friend Kenneth Knapp (23) were found dead at 11am on 19 May in Connell's Dunlop Tower council flat in the centre of East Kilbride, south of Glasgow.

Connell's sister Nancy found them sitting in armchairs, and thought at first they were asleep. The television in front of them was flickering, a video was in the recorder, their heads were propped up against cushions and their legs spread out in front of them. Both had been dead more than 24 hours.

There was no sign of a forced entry and no injuries on the bodies. The flat had no gas supply, so it wasn't carbon monoxide poisoning; and the post mortem ruled out a drugs link. Knapp had worked in a local pub for a while and Connell was a customer. There was no suggestion that the friendship was in any way unusual.

Six weeks later, the deaths remained unexplained. Sunday Post - 27 June; Scotland on Sunday - 4 July 1999

 

Maribel Rosa, 15, a student at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, Connecticut, who had no known medical problems, was rushed to hospital at midnight on 28 June after collapsing in her bedroom and was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.

Three months earlier, on 15 April, her schoolmate Melanie Rosado, an 18-year-old star athlete, again with no known medical problems, died under similar circumstances. The two teenagers, who were only passing aquaintances, lived eight blocks apart in the city's South End. Rosado had gone to sleep complaining of nausea, only to rushed to hospital the next morning with no vital signs. No cause of death has been determined. Hartford (CT) Corant - 5 July 1999

 

James Larry McAnnally was riding his 11-horsepower lawnmower across his back yard in Jasper, Alabama, on 26 July when it exploded, killing him and his dog instantly and hurling pieces of the mower over the roof of his house. Pieces of the mower were found on the roof of his house and the steering wheel was in the front yard. Other pieces were strewn up to 100ft (30m) away on neighbouring gardans. The explosion was heard up to a mile away. Fire chief John Dutton said gasoline fumes could have caused the explosion, which he described as being unlike anything he had previously seen. Associated Press - 27 July 1999

 

A Finnish hunter, aged 23, killed his brother, 18, in a freak accident when a bullet from his gun pierced a grouse and hit the brother about a mile away on its downward trajectory, the Ilta-Sanamat newspaper reported. The hunteraimed at a grouse 30ft (9m) up a tree at a distance of 375ft (114m) while the rest of his party were cooking sausages over a camp fire in central Finland. Times - 12 October; Daily Record - 13 October 1999