Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Absolute Worst Ways They've Ever Heard Of Someone Dying

Cemetary
tomb stone surrounded by flowers
Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash

CW: Deaths and accidents.

News of someone's death is always sad.

In some cases, one can at least take comfort in the fact that the deceased at least lived a long, fulfilling life.

In other cases, however, news of someone's death is an unspeakable tragedy.

Particularly if this person was still young, and had so much more to offer in the world.

Be it a tragic accident or as the victim of an act of cold blood, some stories are so heartbreaking that even those who never met them can't help but shed a tear.


Redditor StrawberryPunk82 was curious to hear some of the worst stories of people's deaths people had ever heard, leading them to ask:
"What is the worst way you've ever heard of someone dying?"

Earthquake

"In the recent earthquake in Turkey, a woman and her baby in her arms got stuck after their building collapsed."

"They were able to talk to and hear outside but unable to come out."

"People around were trying to relax her, saying that help is on the way. (the weather was extremely cold)."

"After a couple hours, the woman said, 'leave me, go look for other people, my baby is dead'."

"Makes me get the chills."- fruitysucculent

Hot Air Balloon Accident

"I knew some folks who died when a hot air balloon crashed into power lines."

"The balloon ignites and basically becomes plastic/nylon magma that covered the basket and all of the people inside it."- 72Rancheast

Wind Turbine Accident

"There's a photo of 2 guys on a giant wind turbine that caught on fire."

"Probably not the worst, but man seeing that photo of them hugging each other right before was like getting punched in the chest."- 1Oshester

Farming Accident

"I'm a farmer."

"One of the neighbors was baling hay and got out to clear a jam with the round baler running."

"His leg got caught in the tines, and he was pulled into the machine and crushed, then spun around and around for over an hour before he was found."

"Absolutely terrible way to go."- ianj2807

Radiation Poisoning

"Hisashi Ouchi."

"83 days of radiation poisoning."- Cabbages6969

Amusement Park Ride Gone Wrong

"I once read about an amusement park tragedy where there was a log ride that collapsed, and the carrier dropped the people essentially into a gear meat grinder."

"2 children survived out of like a dozen people, by clinging onto the safety bars until their arms went numb."

"The emergency crew who came to save them described it as the most horrific thing they ever witnessed, and many still need therapy to this day to help them cope with the aftermath they witnessed."- noisyturtle

Burned Alive

"Burning alive has always seemed about as bad as it can get to me."- penguinpolitician

Sawmill Accident

"I remember when I was young hearing about an incident in a sawmill in a neighboring town."

"Three guys crawled inside the mill’s debarking machine, basically a giant drum lined with teeth that tear bark off of sawn logs."

"They climbed inside to do some kind of maintenance but didn’t lock the machine out properly."

"I think basically when the next shift arrived they didn’t know anyone was in there and they kicked it back on to start their day."

"They almost literally were put through an industrial wood chipper."- aerfgadf

Drowning

"I saw a video a few days ago of a mother of 2 wanting to do a polar plunge so they opened up a hole in a channel and as soon as she jumped in the current of the water underneath swept her away under the ice and she died."

"Imagine the panic that went through her mind as she was trapped under the ice not to mention the freezing temperatures she exposed herself to."

"That has to be one way I don’t want to go."- Huaco_kid

Desperate To Fit In

"At my university, there was a guy who wanted to sneak in at an event at a student club."

"So he thought it would be an awfully good idea to climb down the chimney."

"And he ofc got stuck."

"And this was just before the summer leave, so the entire place closed down while he was still stuck in the chimney."

"When they came back they discovered the stench from his corpse."

"He must have thirsted or suffocated to death in that place."

"Hour after hour just sitting there."

"Really bad way to go."- GubbenJonson

Trapped In Their Own Home

"Man got trapped in his closet by a fallen cabinet."

"He was recluse so nobody was coming to check on him."

"He realized he had to save himself, and broke through the ceiling and broke a pipe off, intending to tunnel his way out."

"It was a water pipe, and cold water started hitting down from above."

"It was several days before he died, trapped in the closet with water beating on his head."

"The only reason he was found was because the neighbor stopped hearing him banging for help, and suddenly got nervous and called the police to check on things."

"Secure your heavy furniture, y'all."- bruicejuice

Australian Bushfires

"In Australia during the bushfires - a family were cut off and trapped so they jumped into their water tank to avoid the fire."

"Boiled alive."- Plebarian

Choking At The Dinner Table

'My friend's husband choked to death at the dinner table in front of his wife and young kids last year."- 2021Blankman

Caving

"Basically any caving incident where someone got stuck and couldn't be rescued so they just had to stay pinned there til they died."

"Nutty Putty is probably the most well known one but I read about one recently where someone got stuck in a pit where there was really poor air flow, and the whole rescue team wasn't able to get them out so they just had to stay there slowly poisoning the air around them with their own exhaled CO2 until it suffocated them."

- MerylSquirrel

Death is always heartbreaking. And these stories definitely unlocked some new fears for us.

But not all deaths are tragic, and absolutely no one deserved what these poor people went through.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Hillary Clinton; Liam Ramos; Tammy Duckworth
Alex Wong/Getty Images; Columbia Heights Public Schools; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Dems Blast ICE After 5-Year-Old Minnesota Boy Is Detained On His Way Home From Preschool

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth were among the Democrats who condemned ICE after agents detained 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father on their way home from preschool in the Minneapolis area.

Ramos is the fourth student from the Columbia Heights School District to be swept up in the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown. District officials and a family attorney confirmed the boy and his father are in custody at an ICE facility in Texas.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt; Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Gives Bonkers Excuse After Trump Is Spotted With Massive Bruise On His Left Hand

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was called out after she gave a dubious excuse for what happened to President Donald Trump after he was spotted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday with a large bruise on his left hand.

Last year, rumors swirled that Trump was on his deathbed after he wasn't seen for several days and the White House cancelled his public appearances, a development that fueled speculation in large part because of Trump's recent health problems, which include a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and sightings of a harsh bruise on his right hand.

Keep ReadingShow less
A group of men sitting on lawn furniture
men sitting on chairs
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Men Reveal The Mistakes They See Younger Guys Repeatedly Making

There are countless male stereotypes.

Stereotypes which, sadly, still remain all too true among far too many oblivious men.

Keep ReadingShow less
Troye Sivan (left) and a screenshot from the now-deleted video posted by an aesthetic doctor critiquing the singer’s appearance (right).
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; @drrzayn/Instagram

Singer And Actor Troye Sivan Speaks Out After Plastic Surgeon Says He Should 'Re-Twinkify' Himself

Out of all the unsolicited advice that circulates online, being publicly critiqued for aging may be one of the most jarring, especially when it comes from a stranger with a platform and a medical title.

That was the experience Australian singer, songwriter, and actor Troye Sivan recently unpacked after a plastic surgeon posted a video dissecting his appearance without permission.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @its.avelyn's TikTok video
@its.avelyn/TikTok

Woman's Hack For How To Find The Sweetest Oranges At The Grocery Store Is Both Hilarious And Helpful

Let's be honest, in this economy, groceries are atrociously expensive, and we could use every shopping and saving hack we can find.

TikToker @its.avelyn delivered when she shared a fellow TikToker's hack for finding the sweetest navel oranges at the grocery store, allowing us to buy the fruit we want and get our money's worth in the process.

Keep ReadingShow less