There are few jobs more dangerous than deep sea saturation diving, where divers ascend to depths as great as 985 feet (300 meters) to repair subsea structures. On these often month-long dives, divers live in pressurized chambers to keep them from getting decompression sickness. However, at those great depths, sometimes things go awry. Here are 10 deep sea diving accidents that will shiver your timbers.

Related: Top 10 Deadliest Industrial Accidents That Were Avoidable

10 Byford Dolphin Accident

The Byford Dolphin accident is one of the most major deep-sea accidents to have happened. This incident took place in 1983 on the Byford Dolphin, a drilling rig that was operated in the North Sea.

It happened like this. On a normal day at work, two divers climbed into the rig’s diving bell, a transportation chamber to take them down to depth before heading down to the chamber system far below the surface. At first, all seemed to go well, with the divers taking turns resting and heading out to work on the rig.

One fatal day during their time underwater, however, two divers were resting in their decompression chamber while another two divers made their way to the chambers in the diving bell. Everything was going as planned as the two tenders—the “drivers”—secured the bell to the chambers. The two divers on board would soon proceed to their own compression chamber. However, as the tenders were preparing to depart, they failed to seal off the diving bell properly from the chambers before beginning their ascent.

What ensued was that the chambers were suddenly decompressed from nine atmospheres to one atmosphere, and the air rushed out of the chambers. Tragically, three of the divers inside the chambers at the time were killed in a horrible way—through explosive decompression. Essentially, the nitrogen bubbles in their blood expanded, causing them to boil from the inside out. The fourth was sucked out of a very narrow opening, ejecting his internal organs. One of the divers in the bell was also killed in the accident.^[1]

9 Wildrake Accident

The Wildrake accident took place in August 1979 on an oil rig in the North Sea. During this dive, two commercial divers—Americans Richard Walker and Victor Guiel—climbed into a diving bell aboard the MS Wildrake, a support vessel on the oil rig.

Unfortunately, the diving bell became separated from the lift wire that was used to lower it and pull it up while the bell was at a depth of 525 feet (160 meters). That meant that there was no electricity or heat supplied to the diving bell.

The oil rigging company did its best to rescue the two divers who were inside the diving bell, but their attempts would take nearly twenty-four hours. In that time, the fate of the two divers in the bell was sealed—by the time the rig managed to pull the diving bell back to the surface, the pair of divers had passed away due to hypothermia.^[2]

8 DOF Subsea Accident

Not all diving accidents have occurred in the North Sea. One nasty deep sea diving accident that occurred took place in 2017 off the northeastern shore of Australia and was run by a company called DOF Subsea Australia.

In this particular accident, DOF Subsea Australia sent several divers down between 778 and 885 feet (237 and 270 meters) to work on an underwater pipeline. This was actually one of the deepest saturation dives in Australian waters, which meant that it was a pretty big deal.

Unfortunately, it seems that the company didn’t see this dive as a big deal. They failed to give their divers the proper gases needed to work at those depths. When the divers returned to the surface, they began complaining of hallucinations, tremors, and cognitive issues, stating that they’d even noticed these symptoms setting in while they were on the ocean floor.

Upon further investigation, it turned out that the divers were suffering from high-pressure nervous syndrome, which takes place due to divers breathing helium at deep depths. While the symptoms were reversible and the divers didn’t suffer any permanent health issues, DOF Subsea Australia was court-ordered to pay for their negligence.^[3]

7 Drill Master Accident

The Drill Master accident occurred in 1974 in Norway and was a tragedy that wound up costing two commercial divers their lives. In this particular accident, the two divers in question, Per Skipnes and Robert John Smyth, were getting ready to work on a rig called the Drill Master.

While inside the diving bell at a depth of 321 feet (98 meters), the drop weight on the bell malfunctioned and was released. This caused the diving bell to go shooting up to the surface.

Now, it would have been bad enough if that was all that happened. However, the bottom door of the diving bell was open at the time. This meant that when the rig shot up to the surface, the pressure in it changed rapidly, and both divers wound up dying due to decompression sickness and drowning.^[4]

6 Star Canopus Accident

The Star Canopus accident took place in Scotland in 1978 and was part of a routine dive alongside the Beryl Alpha platform out in the North Sea. On this particular dive, two divers named Lothar Ward and Gerard Prangley climbed into the diving bell to head down for a routine dive.

Unfortunately, the drop wire, life support, and guide wires were all severed by a loose anchor. Instead of slowly lowering the diving bell to depth, the bell plunged down to a depth of more than 328 feet (100 meters).

A rescue mission was launched, and more than thirteen hours later, the two divers were finally recovered. Tragically, by that time, they had both passed away due to drowning and hypothermia.^[5]

5 Stena Seaspread Accident

The Stena Seaspread accident took place in the North Sea in 1981. During this accident, two divers named Phil Robinson and Jim Tucker were more than a hundred meters below the ocean surface in a diving bell, having just completed work on the oil rig.

Although all seemed to have gone well, what the team didn’t know was that strong tides had damaged the umbilical cords to the bell, which meant that the diving bell was no longer receiving air or pressure.

Of course, as soon as the surface team realized what had happened, they set about launching a rescue operation. They began pulling the diving bell up to the surface. However, they realized that the bell had lost pressure and that the divers were at risk of decompression sickness.

The rescue team, thinking fast, lowered a second dive bell to the divers’ depth, and rescue divers helped move the two men from the broken bell into the new one. The rescue was a success, and all parties involved made it back to the surface unharmed.^[6]

4 Venture One Accident

Part of another seemingly routine dive, the Venture One diving accident, took place in 1977 in the North Sea. In this particular accident, two divers named Dave Hammond and Craig Hoffman were set to lower a blowout preventer to 525 feet (160 meters) for the Venture One drilling rig.

As part of the operation, the divers had to cut several loose wires on the blowout preventer. Hoffman waited in a chamber in the diving bell while Hammond went out to work on the rig. It was while Hammond was working on the rig that a strange electrical sound was heard over the communications radio.

Hammond rushed back to the diving bell to check on his dive partner, only to find him floating unconscious outside the diving bell. Hammond pulled Hoffman back into the bell, and after doing his best to resuscitate him, it was finally declared that Hoffman had died.

Both men were brought to the surface, and an investigation showed that Hoffman had died by drowning. It’s thought that he fell out of the diving bell with his mask off, inhaled water, and died.^[7]

3 Waage Drill II Accident

The Waage Drill II accident took place in 1975 when two divers named Robert Edwin and Peter Holmes were working in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland.

On this dive, the two divers headed down to 394 feet (120 meters) to do a short dive, untangling some rope along the rig. After completing the job, the two divers headed back to the diving bell to decompress.

As they were sealing off the bell, however, they noticed a gas leak. Despite their best efforts, they weren’t able to put a stop to the leak and were forced to move into a deeper chamber attached to the bell. This is where things really started to go awry.

Their supervisor, who was outside the chamber, began feeding helium into it to seal it off from the gas leak. However, because the gauge inside the chamber wasn’t working, he didn’t realize he’d overcompensated and sent too much helium into the chamber.

This caused the inside pressure to drop to a depth of 650 feet (200 meters) and the temperature to rise to a whopping 120°F (48.9°C). The two men inside the chamber were unable to breathe properly at this temperature and, after a few hours, died of hyperthermia.^[8]

2 Bibby Topaz Accident

The Bibby Topaz is a more recent diving accident that occurred in 2012. In this awful accident, a diver named Chris Lemmons was working on a subsea drilling structure with the support of a vessel named the Bibby Topaz.

However, while Chris was underwater, the Bibby Topaz’s positioning system malfunctioned, and it drifted 625 feet (190 meters) off course. The good news is that Chris managed to get out of the underwater structure safely, where he could await rescue. However, in the process, he snagged his umbilical support cord. This cord is what provided him with air, hot water, and communications.

That left the terrified diver trapped on the seafloor in total darkness. The good news is that back on the surface, the Bibby Topaz managed to regain their position and immediately realized what had happened. After just 40 minutes on the seafloor, they managed to pull Chris back to his diving bell and get him the medical help he needed. Chris thankfully survived the ordeal, and since then, the Bibby Topaz has made efforts to improve safety for its divers.^[9]

1 Johnson Sea Link Accident

The Johnson Sea Link accident took place in 1973. What happened is that a submersible named the Johnson Sea Link was sent down off the coast of Key West to help sink an artificial reef in the area.

There were two divers aboard the vessel, Edwin Link and Albert Stover, as well as the pilot of the submersible, who were meant to check out conditions on the reef below.

However, while under the water, the submersible got trapped in the wreckage of the very destroyer it was supposed to be monitoring.

Rescue efforts were launched immediately, and the submersible was eventually recovered. While the pilot of the ship made it to the surface alive, both divers had passed away due to carbon dioxide poisoning.^[10]

No matter whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a full-time employee, it can be difficult to find that perfect work-life balance. Aside from “work,” common day-to-day tasks such as household chores, yard work, caring for pets, managing finances, and taking care of ourselves can quickly become overwhelming.

While they may seem tedious and mundane, these everyday tasks keep our homes, vehicles, and bodies in good working order. However, often, these errands become so commonplace that we typically perceive them to be far more dreadful than dangerous.

However, these stories prove that all it takes is a split second for either a mistake or a bizarre external factor to completely change the trajectory of our lives, even while doing something as simple as taking the dog for a walk, mowing the grass, or making a routine trip to the dentist.

Here are the stories of ten common activities and tasks that quickly turned into tragic freak accidents.

Related: Top 10 Freaky Car Accidents With No Survivors

10 Walking the Dog

Around 5 am on August 16, 2023, 34-year-old Madeline Kelly of Mendota, California, took her boyfriend’s dog out for a walk.

Unfortunately, there had been a small fire in the area on August 14. While the fire department extinguished the vegetation fire, the power company—Pacific Gas and Electric—was not alerted as the power lines did not appear to be affected by the fire. However, the fire had indeed weakened the power pole, and sometime between the Monday night fire and Kelly’s Wednesday morning walk, the line fell.

Without the aid of sunlight during Kelly’s early morning walk, she was unable to see the hazard and stepped on the live wires. Sadly, both Kelly and the dog were electrocuted. Kelly’s boyfriend later discovered the pair’s bodies.

Emergency responders attempted to revive Kelly, but after unsuccessful attempts, first responders pronounced both she and the dog dead.

A spokesperson for Pacific Gas and Electric later issued a statement that read, “We are working with first responders to investigate the circumstances of the tragic accident in Mendota this week. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted.” An investigation is ongoing.^[1]

9 Mowing the Grass

Sixty-four-year-old Peggy Jones and her husband, 66-year-old Wendell, planned to end the day of July 25, 2023, by mowing the lawn of their investment property in Silsbee, Texas, and then heading off to the casino together.

Given that the yard work was typically a three-hour job, Wendell got to work in the front of the property while Peggy set out on a riding mower in the back of the property. Then, “all of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky, a snake fell… and landed on Peggy’s arm.”

The four-foot (1.2-meter) snake clutched onto Peggy’s right arm and wouldn’t let go. The snake then began striking at her face, but thankfully, its venom landed on Peggy’s glasses rather than in her eyes. However, the more Peggy attempted to thrust her arm, the tighter the snake’s grip became. As if this situation wasn’t bad enough, Peggy had to continue to maintain control of the tractor, all while desperately screaming for help. Unfortunately, the sound of both tractors, along with traffic from the nearby highway, made it impossible for Wendell to hear her cries.

Just then, a brown and white hawk swooped down, creating a “tug-of-war of nature” as the hawk tried to grab the snake, who still refused to let go of Peggy’s arm. Despite the failed attempt at capturing the serpent, the hawk refused to give up on its prey. After swooping in four more times, the snake was finally released from Peggy’s arm, and the hawk flew away with it.

Thankfully, Peggy was eventually able to get her husband’s attention, but by this time, her arm was covered in blood, claw marks, lacerations, and punctures. Wendell rushed Peggy to the emergency room, where she was given antibiotics, her wounds were cleaned and bandaged, and her condition was stabilized.

The incident not only left Peggy with nightmares but also with the inability to use her arm. Fortunately, Wendell, along with the couple’s children and grandchildren, assisted Peggy with daily tasks and took extra precautions to keep her wounds wrapped and free from infection.^[2]

8 Running on the Treadmill

On July 21, 2023, 36-year-old Delrie Rosario and her sister, Marissa Woods, went to a local LA Fitness Center in Kent, Washington, to run on the treadmill, something the sisters did nearly every day. Unfortunately, their typical exercise routine turned into a “bizarre accident.”

As Rosario attempted to slow the treadmill down, she stumbled and hit her head on the front of the machine, causing her to fall off and lose consciousness.

Woods stated she then began screaming for help in hopes of gaining the attention of someone who knew how to perform CPR. While other gym-goers came to her aid, Woods claimed none of the gym staff tried to assist her.

Rosario was rushed to a nearby hospital but, sadly, never regained consciousness.

Amid the family’s grief, they found peace in knowing that Rosario, who was known for having “the biggest heart,” would go on to save the lives of others. Her heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver were transplanted in order to save the lives of five people on organ donor waiting lists.^[3]

7 Going to the ATM

Sixty-three-year-old Michael Diaczyszyn of Glenarm, North Ireland, was described as a “fun-loving big man with a good soul” who “saw the bright side of everything.” Unfortunately, his life was taken due to a freak accident at an ATM machine.

On February 22, 2017, Diaczyszyn went to withdraw money from a cash machine in Larne, North Ireland. However, while attempting to complete the transaction, a runaway empty Vauxhall Vivaro van rolled back down the street and hit him.

Diaczyszyn was taken to a local hospital for a broken leg but sadly died the following morning due to complications from surgery.^[4]

6 Getting a Tooth Filled

On March 18, 2022, 60-year-old Tom Jozsi of Antioch, Illinois, went to the dentist’s office for a routine procedure. However, what should have been a normal trip to the dentist ended with a trip to the hospital and the need for intensive surgery.

As Jozsi was getting his tooth filled, he “felt a cough” coming on. Jozsi was then told that he had swallowed one of the dentist’s tools—a one-inch (2.5-cm) long drill bit.

Jozsi went to a local hospital, but X-rays were unable to show the location of the drill bit. A CT scan later revealed that the drill bit was located really far down on the right lower lobe of Jozsi’s lung rather than in his stomach. In light of this, doctors believed that prior to Jozsi’s coughing, he also inhaled, which caused the drill bit to go into his lungs.

Jozsi was transferred to a hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but unfortunately, the drill bit was so deep in his lung that traditional scopes could not reach it. Jozsi was advised that part of his lung may have to be removed if the drill bit could not successfully be taken out.

Thankfully, Dr. Abdul Alraiyes and Dr. Hasnain Bawaadam were able to utilize robotic bronchoscopy—a procedure that uses a smaller and more flexible scope that can get into lung airways and detect lung cancer at its earliest stage. The doctors used this to navigate the narrow airways and reach the drill piece without damaging Jozsi’s lung.

Fortunately, the 90-minute procedure went “exactly as planned,” and Jozsi was able to go home the same day. Jozsi said the drill bit is now proudly displayed on a shelf at home.^[5]

5 Changing a Flat Tire

William Jason Lamont Bell Sr. of Chicago, Illinois, and his family were on a road trip to Kentucky. However, late in the morning of August 15, 2023, the vehicle they were traveling in got a flat tire along the interstate in Northwest Indiana.

When Bell Sr. left the vehicle to change the tire, his 15-year-old son, William Jason Lamont Bell Jr., followed and insisted on helping his father. Unfortunately, while the two were fixing the flat, a semi-truck traveling in the same direction experienced a mechanical failure. As it passed by, one of its rear wheels dislodged from the truck.

The loose wheel, with its tire still attached, rolled along the barrier wall before striking Bell Jr. and the four other individuals who were outside of the parked vehicle.

Police were dispatched to the scene, and Bell Jr. was quickly rushed to a local hospital. However, once his injuries were deemed life-threatening, Bell Jr. was transferred to a hospital in Chicago. Bell was placed on life support but died on August 18, 2023. The other four individuals received non-life-threatening injuries.

The semi-truck driver was sent to a local hospital for a mandatory toxicology test. Although drugs and alcohol were not believed to be a factor in the accident, the semi-trailer was impounded for inspection by state police.^[6]

4 Doing Laundry

On the evening of September 21, 2008, 29-year-old Carl Thomas of Dixie County, Florida, went to do his laundry in an unattached shed near the home where he lived. However, when Thomas did not return to the house, witnesses said they went to look for him.

Unfortunately, they found Thomas on the floor next to a clothes dryer. Witnesses performed CPR until first responders arrived. Thomas was then transported to the Old Town Helipad but, sadly, pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

An investigation into the electrical wiring of the shed revealed that the electrical system did not meet current standards. Therefore, when the dryer was plugged in, it would have become energized and had the potential to shock anyone who touched it.

An autopsy later revealed Thomas’ cause of death as “positional asphyxiation with the contributing cause of electrocution.” It was believed that in attempting to plug in the dryer, Thomas was shocked and then fell between the appliances, causing him to be unable to breathe.^[7]

3 Going Through the Drive Thru

In the early morning hours of September 8, 2021, a man, later identified as 42-year-old Anthony “Tony” Eyles, stopped to get breakfast from a local McDonald’s in Vancouver, Canada.

Eyles went to pay for his meal at 5:30 am but dropped his bank card onto the ground. Eyles then opened the car door to pick up the card, but unfortunately, “the vehicle rolled forward, colliding into a structural piece of the restaurant.” Eyles became pinned between the vehicle door and frame and was unable to free himself.

First responders arrived at the McDonald’s location and attempted to revive Eyles, but sadly, he died at the scene.^[8]

2 Taking Out the Trash

In May of 2012, 66-year-old John Fozard of Anglesey, Wales, was emptying a garbage can in his house. However, as he was throwing the trash away, pieces of a broken wine glass tore through the bag and cut him, leaving a 1.5-inch (4-cm) wound on his thigh, just above the knee. Unfortunately, the glass severed his femoral artery—the main blood vessel supplying blood to the lower body.

Fozard attempted to stop the bleeding but later collapsed in his bathroom due to the loss of blood.

Fozard’s next-door neighbors, Gwyndaf Rowlands and his wife, became worried after hearing the sound of running water for hours but never seeing Fozard. It was then that Rowlands looked through a kitchen window and saw blood, so he contacted the police.

Paramedics arrived on the scene and broke into Fozard’s house in an attempt to provide medical care, but sadly, it was too late. Fozard bled to death.^[9]

1 Putting Gas in Vehicle

On December 22, 2021, 46-year-old Sheryll Grace “Shoi” Delfin Caballes was pumping gasoline at a Circle K station in Palm Harbor, Florida. As Caballes proceeded to put gas into her 2018 Honda SUV, a 66-year-old woman backed her 2006 Nissan sedan into a gas pump.

The impact knocked the fuel dispenser from its base, causing the gas pump to overturn on Caballes. Caballes became pinned between the pump and her SUV, which then caught fire.

Two of Caballes’s children (ages 11 and 14), who were in the car at the time, were able to get out and attempted to save their mother. Thirty-four-year-old Jared Pierson, a homeless Good Samaritan, also attempted to help by using the fire extinguisher beside the pumps and getting the children to safety. Unfortunately, the flames were too much, and Caballes burned to death.

In August of 2022, the Caballes family went on to file a lawsuit against 13 defendants, which included Circle K Stores, Inc. and Shell Oil Company, since the device designated to stop fuel flow if a gas pump is damaged or struck by a vehicle was not working, and additionally because the Circle K employee failed to trigger the emergency stop switch.^[10]

We all take our ability to travel for granted. You can drive from Boston to New York in 4 hours. That trip took early English immigrants 1-2 weeks. They had to ration out provisions just to survive the journey.

Now cars are everywhere, and most humans on Earth use them daily. They’ve become appliances- just bigger, faster hairdryers and toasters. But when a toaster acts up, you might get a crispy bagel; when something goes wrong with your car, you might get a crispy person.

Car accidents are all too common, thanks partly to how comfortable we’ve become inside them, and some accidents are often fatal. Whether it’s due to weather, driver error, or sheer bad luck, some accidents leave a trail of death in their wake. It can be scary, not just because of the tragedy, but because we could so easily be in the victims’ place. Here are ten fatal car accidents that may freak you out, whether from sheer carnage or just the bizarre way in which they happened.

10 Coalinga Crash

Though this first crash isn’t as big as others on this list, it is just as freaky. That is due to how little happened to cause so much suffering. On State Route 33 in Coalinga, California, on New Year’s Day 2021, a man driving a Dodge Journey struck a Ford F150 head-on. There was no inclement weather; the man had not been drinking, nor did he fall asleep at the wheel. He simply lost control for a few brief seconds, drifted into another lane, and struck the Ford.

The man in the Dodge died in the collision. Though built to hold six, the Ford had eight passengers- a mother and seven children, all siblings and cousins. This means at least two kids weren’t wearing seatbelts. Worst of all, the collision somehow caused the Ford to go up in flames, and the blaze is what killed all eight passengers. It only took one sober adult a moment of distraction and error to cause the death of nine people, including seven children.

9 Paul Walker

Paul Walker was an actor known primarily for his starring role in the Fast & the Furious franchise. The role was not a stretch for Walker; he was a car collector and enthusiast and raced cars semi-professionally. The man knew his way around a vehicle. That’s why it was so surprising when he died in a car crash.

Walker was a passenger when he died, though the driver was a man named Roger Rodas, who was also a professional racer and with whom Walker collaborated on many automotive endeavors. The two were semi-experts in handling performance cars. That, combined with the clear, sunny day at the time of the accident; the lack of substances in either man’s systems; and the fact that the road on which they died was well known to the men, makes it a bit strange that they crashed. Both died, with Walker in the middle of shooting Furious 7. And no, they were neither drifting nor drag-racing.

8 Carnage Alley

On September 3, 1999, on Ontario Highway 401, a sudden bout of fog was all that was required to cause an 87 car pileup that killed eight and injured another 45. The area relied on a local weather monitoring station to issue warnings for fog, rain, snow, etc. but for some reason, the station failed to detect that day’s fog bank.

The fog rolled in across the highway and reduced visibility to less than one meter, which caused the first collision between two semis. This created a chain reaction of collisions that ballooned to 87 vehicles, many of them aflame, which local police described as “a massive fireball.” The extent of the horror earned that stretch of highway the nickname “Carnage Alley.”

7 Stuck in Snow but Burned Alive

This story is hard to hear, as it somehow transforms routine, mundane behavior into a grisly death. In early February, a New Jersey man was driving down a snowy road when the conditions caused him to slide off the road into a shallow embankment. It was a relatively slow, non-violent accident, and the man was completely unhurt. He began rocking the car back and forth and revving his engine to free it from the snow, often the norm in that situation.

Police arrived on the scene and told the man to stop trying to free the car, that it was no use. Instead, they told him to wait for a tow truck to arrive. The man ignored their advice, continued revving the engine, and the car suddenly erupted in flames. The man was unable to free himself from the vehicle, and the sudden blaze killed him. A simple strategy for dislodging a car from the snow ended in a horrific case of someone burned alive.

6 Head Stuck

23-year-old Victoria Strauss died in a unique and terrifying way. She was leaving a parking garage in her car and stopped at the kiosk to pay for her time parked. Security camera footage shows that Strauss accidentally dropped her credit card while attempting to pay, and so opened her door and leaned down to the ground to pick it up.

It was then that she accidentally pressed her car’s gas pedal with her foot while stretching down, causing the vehicle to lurch forward. When her body was found, around six hours later, her head was pinned between the side of her car and the payment kiosk. The sudden trauma to her head killed her. A promising graduate student in social work, Strauss died in the most random, unpredictable accident imaginable.

5 Macho Man Randy Savage

This accident involved one death, and luckily also includes one survivor. What makes it freaky is that the crash itself didn’t kill anyone, and no one- driver or passenger- was at fault. Macho Man Randy Savage was a professional wrestler from the 80s and is one of the all-time greats. His popularity and impact on the industry were massive. On the morning of May 20, 2011, Savage was driving his Jeep with his wife in the passenger seat. Suddenly, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. Savage died, his wife survived.

The crash did not kill him. Unbeknownst to Savage, he had had advanced coronary artery disease. On that morning, the disease caused him to have a heart attack while driving, which caused him to lose control. The crash itself caused almost no damage to either Savage or his wife; it was an unknown, underlying health issue that was the true culprit. It is freaky to know that this situation is plausible for anyone at any time.

4 Found Hanging from Freeway Sign

On the Monday of October 30, 2015, 20-year-old Richard Pananian was in a hurry. Driving down the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, California, Pananian was speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, and illegally passing cars on the right shoulder of the highway. Pananian then clipped the back of a Ford F150, spun out of control, and rolled towards an embankment.

The car’s momentum carried it up the embankment until it suddenly stopped, causing Pananian to be ejected from the vehicle. He flew some twenty feet into the air and smacked into an exit ramp sign. His lifeless body came to rest on the sign and hung there, serving as a tragic, grisly reminder of the dangers of unsafe driving until firefighters were able to bring his body down two hours later.

3 Anton Yelchin

Anton Yelchin was a young actor, best known for his portrayal of Pavel Chekov, an engineer aboard the Enterprise in J. J. Abram’s Star Trek reboots. On June 18, 2016, Yelchin failed to arrive at a rehearsal and friends went to his house to find them.

Find him they did. Yelchin was dead, his body pinned between his Jeep and one of his gateposts. Police determined that Yelchin had driven his Jeep part of the way from his gate to his house and gotten out to lock the gate or check his mail. The Jeep then rolled backward and struck him, pinning him between it and the gatepost. He died from the collision, and in doing so became a tragic member of Hollywood’s 27 Club.

2 Carrollton Bus Crash

The Carrollton bus collision is an accident that famously led to renewed support for- and created the future president of- MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On the night of May 14, 1988, on Interstate 71 in Kentucky, a pickup truck collided with a school bus filled with 66 members of a church youth group. The group had visited a theme park that day and were on their way home.

Larry Wayne Mahoney had been drinking heavily and at the time of the accident, he was driving the wrong way on the highway. Though the collision itself did little damage to the bus, it did cause the bus to erupt in flames. The many passengers scrambled to escape through the rear of the bus, but in the chaos, many were unlucky. The bus driver and 26 children burned to death in the bus, and 34 more children were injured. Mahoney served less than ten years in prison, to the outrage of many.

1 1955 Le Mans disaster

Called “the worst motorsports accident in history” and one of the deadliest vehicular accidents of all time, the Le Mans disaster is an almost unimaginable tragedy. On June 11, 1955, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The specifics of the crash have been detailed again and again, broken down into second-by-second steps, but all that is important here is that two race cars collided, sending one into a crowd of spectators.

Pieces of the car broke apart and flew into the crowd, killing an astounding 83 people and injuring as many as 178 others. One particular piece of ghoulish detail is that the car’s hood, having detached from the car’s body, flew off into the crowd, spinning. It was precisely at neck level and sped along, “decapitating tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine.”

There are few purer and more intense feelings than the concentrated cocktail of fear of ecstasy that is riding a theme park ride. Whether it’s water slides, rollercoasters, or drop towers, the main attractions at theme parks offer visceral, terrifying experiences in the safety of seatbelts, straps, rails, and tracks, all professionally and consistently maintained to the highest of safety standards. 

Except that’s only true at some parks and not others, and it’s almost impossible to find out which is which. 

Regulation of a given park’s safety might come from local governments, state governments, or the Consumer Product Safety Commission, on a case-by-case basis. The CPSC themselves have called it “a fragmented system.” This has lead in part to around 30,000-45,000 accidents at theme parks each year. 

With so many unfortunate accidents to choose from, here are ten of the wildest and worst theme park accidents of all time.

10 Superman Took her Feet

Sometimes non-fatal accidents leave you chilled in a way that a simple death could not. That’s certainly true of the incident involving 13-year-old Kaitlyn Lassiter, who survived an accident on Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom’s Superman: Tower of Power ride. Yes, she survived, but her feet did not.

On June 21, 2007, Kaitlyn got on the Tower of Power, a drop tower ride that simulates a 154-foot fall. Just after the ride began, one of its many cables snapped. The ride dropped, and the other passengers were struck by the cable, suffering only minor wounds. Unfortunately for Kaitlyn, the cable happened to wrap around her ankles. It shattered her left femur and held tight as she dropped, severing both of her feet. Luckily, doctors were able to reattach her right foot, but the much more injured left leg had to be amputated below the knee.

9 The Ghost Train Catches Fire

On June 9, 1979, Sydney, Australia’s indoor ghost train ride at Luna Park caught fire. The incident killed seven people—six of them children. As the park had never installed a sprinkler system, the fire burned the entire ride to the ground. We still don’t know what caused the mysterious fire in the first place.

Approximately 35 people were riding the train through its spooky interior track when the fire started. Whether due to an electrical accident or, as was later claimed, an arson attack by a mob boss, a fire broke out. The staff noticed the smoke and began to pull guests out of the ride, but couldn’t get to all of them before the fire was too large. The park was understaffed and the nearest fire hose couldn’t reach the entirety of the ride, and so seven lives were lost, along with the train itself.

8 Big Thunder Mountain Hits the Roof

Not to cry conspiracy, but this accident has a tiny fraction of the coverage online of what the others have, despite leading to a gruesome death. Perhaps that’s because it took place at the Happiest Place on Earth—and one of its richest and most powerful: Disneyland.

September 5, 2003, was the day that Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster malfunctioned. The lead car on the faux locomotive lost its rear wheels and shot up into the roof (during the indoor portion). The following cars then continued on under the now-embedded lead car, slamming Marcelo Torres into it, killing him. 

About the accident, the California Division of Occupational Safety said that “machinists did not understand or follow the park’s maintenance procedures and operators were not given the right guidelines.” The following year, Torres’s family settled with Disney for an undisclosed sum.

7 When Mindbender Derailed

In 1986, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, was the largest mall in the world. The rollercoaster contained within it, The Mindbender, was the tallest indoor roller coaster in the world. Not sure that a rollercoaster inside a mall is a good idea anyway. Regardless, it became a major attraction twice over, and its attendance numbers reflected that, some hundreds per hour for decades. 

But only four passengers were unlucky enough to be flung from the ride, three of them to their deaths.

Due to a combination of faulty design and improper maintenance, on June 14, 1986, a car detached from the coaster track, its restraints opened, and four passengers were launched to the concrete floor of the mall. Three died, and the fourth surviving passenger, Rod Chayko, has unsuccessfully lobbied for decades to have a memorial to his unlucky fellow riders placed in the mall.

6 The Haunted Castle Fire

In an eerily similar incident to the Luna Park ghost train fire, another dark indoor ride, New Jersey’s Haunted Castle at Six Flags Great Adventure, caught fire. Again, it had failed to install sprinkler systems. Again it killed multiple people (eight this time vs. Luna Park’s seven). And again, with the incident came unsubstantiated claims of arson.

Due to some unknown cause, the fire broke out on May 11, 1984, with 29 guests inside the ride. The attraction, built mostly from flammable materials, went up quickly. Some guests thought the fire was all part of the staged horror and reacted too slowly. Similarly, though more grim, the badly-charred bodies of the eight teenagers who died in the flames were initially thought to be just part of the scene.

5 Trapped Under Thunder River Rapids

One of only two deadly water rides on this list, the river rafting ride Thunder River Rapids in Queensland, Australia, earned the honor on October 25, 2016. That day, four of its passengers died by being crushed in its conveyor mechanism.

Due to a failing pump, the ride’s water level lowered dramatically, stranding one of its rafts. When the next raft reached it, the two collided and the second raft was flipped. Of the raft’s six passengers, two of them—smaller, nimbler children—were able to escape the raft, while the rest went under. They remained strapped to their seats while upside-down and were forced into contact with the conveyor mechanism, crushing them to death.

4 The King’s Crown Scalping

Elizabeth Gilreath was only 11 when she was the unfortunate victim of one of the most gruesome ride accidents in history. On May 5, 2016, Elizabeth was riding the spinning King’s Crown ride at a festival in Omaha, Nebraska, when her hair was caught in the ride, ripping her scalp from her head completely.

For over five minutes, Elizabeth screamed for the ride to stop, but it didn’t. Not until a good samaritan, Jolene Cisneros, took the initiative to physically stop the ride herself with her bare hands. Elizabeth lost the entirety of her scalp and hair and suffered severe damage to her eyes. Thanks to dozens of surgeries, she pulled through and even recovered much of what she’d lost.

3 The Verrückt Beheading

The other water ride to make it to the list is the former tallest waterslide in the world, Verrückt. On August 7, 2016, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab (son of a Kansas state representative) died while braving the tall slide.

Caleb descended the slide at the front of a raft containing two adult women at its rear. This seemingly innocent grouping would ultimately be the cause of his death. Because of the uneven weight distribution, when the raft reached one of its mini hills on the way down, the whole vehicle went airborne. Caleb hit part of the (seemingly) protective metal netting and was completely decapitated. The ride was closed and later deconstructed entirely.

2 The Big Dipper Accident

The deadliest rollercoaster accident in American history happened at Krug Park in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 24, 1930. A bolt came loose in the park’s sole rollercoaster, the Big Dipper, causing four of its cars to fly off the track and plummet to the ground.

The cars fell 35 feet, and three of the four cars landed face down. Four people died; another 17 were injured. This made it the deadliest crash in the country. The incident caused the City of Omaha to ban all rollercoasters, sealing the fate of Krug Park, which closed within the decade.

1 The Other Big Dipper Accident

Somehow, both the deadliest rollercoaster accident in American history was on a coaster named the Big Dipper, and also the deadliest rollercoaster accident in the world was on a coaster named the Big Dipper. And they are two totally different Big Dippers, their accidents separated by 42 years and one ocean.

The world’s largest coaster accident took place on May 30, 1972, and this Big Dipper was located at a fair in Battersea Park in London. As the coaster’s cars were being pulled up the track towards its first peak, both the hauling rope and the cars’ emergency brake failed. The cars rolled backward, fell off the track, and smashed through a barrier. 

Five people were killed, all of them children, and another 13 were injured. The coaster was dismantled, and without its star attraction, the fair suffered a similar fate to Krug Park, closing within a couple of years.

Potentially deadly incidents and accidents like earthquakes, lightning strikes, and hard falls are not always bad—at least to people who have benefited from them. Over the centuries, people have been cured of illnesses and other medical conditions after experiencing some of the aforementioned incidents and accidents.

Their medical conditions ranged from blindness and deafness to mental illnesses and even cancer. Yes! People have been cured of cancer after they were struck by lightning, Others miraculously regained their sight after they were headbutted by animals. One man was even cured of deafness after an earthquake.

10 Blind Man Gets Sight Restored After He Is Struck By Lightning

In 1971, Edwin Robinson was in a terrible truck accident that left him blind and partly deaf. That changed on June 9, 1980, when he was hit by a bolt of lightning outside his home in Falmouth, Maine, while trying to get his pet chicken out of the rain. The lightning blasted him to the ground and left him stunned.

That night, Robinson’s sight and hearing were miraculously restored. The incident was widely reported at the time. Robinson and his wife, Doris, received so many calls that they had to unhook their landline telephone—that is, separate the headset from the phone body—to get some sleep. They also received requests to be guests on several television shows.

The couple never made money from the extensive media coverage. All they earned was a hundred bucks and some money to cover travel expenses to television stations. They scuttled an opportunity to make money from the incident when they turned down a television station that approached them to do a show.

The Robinsons rejected the offer because the station wanted full rights to the production. Robinson said the television station would have exaggerated the incident instead of focusing on his miraculous recovery. Doris also mentioned that she preferred a movie focusing on their lives after Robinson went blind and deaf and not just on the lightning accident.^[1]

9 Man Gets Sight Restored After He Is Headbutted By Horse

Don Karkos was one of the many Americans who enlisted in the US military after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Karkos joined the US Navy and was posted to the tanker ship USS Rapaden.

The vessel was tasked with refueling Allied ships in the North Atlantic, which was filled with German U-boats. USS Rapaden was on one of its many runs to the North Atlantic when an explosion occurred in 1942. A metal fragment dispersed by the blast hit Karkos above the right eye and injured his forehead.

Karkos lost consciousness after the accident and awakened in an Icelandic hospital. There, doctors informed him that he was blind in his right eye. Doctors even offered to remove the eye, but Karkos refused. He returned to the US where he worked in a mill before setting up a horse farm in 1978.

The loss of the eye was troublesome for Karkos. He had problems seeing the walls right in front of him and often ran into them headfirst. It got worse when he slowly started losing the vision in his left eye to cataracts. Fortunately, he recovered the sight in his right eye in an accident 64 years later.

Karkos was preparing a horse called My Buddy Chimo for a race when it headbutted him in the blinded right eye and slammed him against a wall. Karkos returned home that night feeling sick. However, he soon discovered that he could see with the right eye—the same one that the horse had hit.^[2]

8 Woman Cured Of Multiple Sclerosis After Lightning Strike

On August 17, 1994, Mary Clamser was cured of multiple sclerosis after she was struck by lightning right inside her Oklahoma home. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system and slowly paralyzes sufferers.

Clamser suffered from the disease for 22 years during which she slowly lost control of her legs and ended up in a wheelchair. Clamser was in the shower when the lightning struck. One of her hands was on the metal bar in the shower while the other was on the handle of the flush toilet. She also had metal braces on her legs.

The lightning struck her home and traveled through the main to hit her in the shower. She lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital. A doctor was checking if her bones had been broken at the time she regained consciousness.

However, she could feel the doctor’s hands on her legs even though paralyzed people cannot feel sensations on the paralyzed body part. She was able to walk without the braces three weeks later and was wearing high heels two months later.^[3]

7 Man Regains Hearing After Earthquake

On August 23, 2011, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Louisa County, Virginia, and was felt along the East Coast and nearby areas. Rail and air traffic were delayed, and two nuclear reactors were shut down. Several buildings—including the Pentagon, Capitol, State Department offices, and several hospitals—were hurriedly evacuated.

While the earthquake scared everyone, it was a blessing for Robert Valderzak of Washington, DC, after it cured him of his deafness. Valderzak had gone deaf after suffering a bad fall on Father’s Day two months earlier in June. He fractured his skull and lost his hearing. He learned lip-reading and required a special microphone when talking.

Valderzak was a patient in the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Washington, DC, when the earthquake struck. His daughter and three sons were visiting him at the time. Valderzak realized that he could hear his son talk after the earthquake was over.

Doctors think Valderzak regained his hearing because he suffered from “conductive hearing loss,” which is caused by fluids getting trapped in the ear. Doctors say the vibrations of the earthquake and the drugs they administered caused the fluid to drain and allowed Valderzak to hear once more. He believes the incident was a miracle.^[4]

6 Lightning Cured A Man’s Cancer

In 1855, Reuben Stephenson was plowing a field in Langtoft, England, when he was struck by lightning, which killed the two horses connected to the plow. Stephenson was so badly injured that people thought he was going to die. However, he survived after one Dr. Allison nursed him back to health.

While administering treatment, the doctor noticed that Stephenson had a cancerous tumor on his lip. Dr. Alison attempted to operate on the tumor after Stephenson recovered only to discover that the tumor had disappeared. Alison believed that Stephenson was cured of the cancer as he recovered from the lightning strike.^[5]

5 Teenager Stops Using Prescription Glasses After Getting Struck By Lightning

In July 2017, 16-year-old Faith Mobley was doing the dishes at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Haleyville, Alabama, when she was struck by lightning. It hit the restaurant and traveled through the pipes to wherever Mobley was doing the dishes.

The lightning went through the drive-thru headset that Mobley was wearing and exited through her left foot, creating a large hole in her shoe. Mobley lost consciousness but was saved by a coworker who called 911. Mobley later said that she felt her body tighten as she was struck, just before she went numb and lost consciousness.^[6]

Her only injury was a burn on her foot where the lightning had left her body. Miraculously, her eyesight seemed to have been restored. She had worn glasses before the incident but did not need them any longer. The color of her eyes also changed.

4 Man Cured Of Mental Illness After Shooting Himself In The Head

In February 1988, the Associated Press reported that a man only identified as “George” unwittingly cured himself of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during a failed suicide attempt five years earlier. George was 19 years old at the time of the incident.

OCD is a frustrating personality disorder that makes sufferers develop weird perfectionist behaviors. For instance, George showered and washed his hands unusually often because he was afraid of germs. This would later cost him his job and education. He became depressed and decided to commit suicide.

George got a .22-caliber rifle and aimed at his brain through his mouth. He pulled the trigger but did not die. Instead, the bullet went through his skull and stopped in the left front part of his brain. Doctors extracted the bullet, which only damaged the area of the brain causing the OCD.

Afterward, George’s IQ returned to the level it was before the disorder had set in. He recovered, got a job, and went back to school where he became an A student. Physician’s Weekly called the whole incident a “successful radical surgery.”^[7]

3 Woman Recovers Sight After Falling And Hitting Her Head

In 1993, Mary Ann Franco was in an auto accident that left her with serious spinal injuries that caused blindness. However, she regained her sight after another accident in her Florida home in August 2015.

Franco was walking across her living room to the door when she tripped and fell, hitting her head on what she thought was the fireplace. Franco also broke her neck during the accident. She underwent surgery on the neck and recovered from anesthesia to discover that her sight had been restored.^[8]

2 Woman Cured Of Her Super Senses After Getting Struck By Lightning

In January 2017, some researchers at Trinity College Dublin published a research paper about a woman who was cured of synesthesia after getting struck by lightning. The researchers did not reveal the identity of the woman and only called her “AB.”

Synesthesia is a strange condition with many variations, including those in which people taste words, smell sound, hear colors, and feel the atmosphere around other people. However, sufferers sometimes hate the condition because of its undesirable side effects. Some even end up on medications.

AB was temporarily cured of the condition after she was struck by lightning. We say temporarily because the synesthesia later returned.^[9]

1 Blind Man Cured After Falling Down Stairs

In 2013, 68-year-old Pierre-Paul Thomas was partly cured of blindness that he had from birth. Thomas was not actually cured by the accident. It just happened to be the major reason that he underwent the surgery that led to his cure.

Since birth, Thomas had suffered from congenital nystagmus, a medical condition caused when the eyes are not properly fitted in the sockets. Sufferers are unable to control their eyes, which wander about the sockets, leading to blindness.

Thomas was cured after a fall in his home in Montreal. He broke several facial bones, including some bones in his eyes. He underwent surgery to fix the bones. After the surgery, a plastic surgeon asked if he wanted his eyes fixed. Thomas agreed.

The surgeons operated on Thomas’s eyes and removed the cataract that caused the blindness. Doctors suspect that Thomas still had his sight despite the congenital nystagmus but lost it after damage by the cataract. However, Thomas’s sight was not perfect as congenital nystagmus is incurable.^[10]

Accidents are nothing new, but when humanity entered the industrial age, workplace accidents became a lot more…deadly. Improvements in manufacturing, power production, transportation, mining, and every other industry out there may have brought about the modern world, but they came at a cost.

Industrial accidents have been happening since the early days of the industrial age, and many of them were preventable. Often, oversight and regulations could have mitigated a disaster, or the ever-present “human error” problem could have been stopped before things got out of hand. Unfortunately, for these ten accidents, many died, but they didn’t have to.

Related: 10 Myths Humans Have Used To Explain Natural Disasters

10 The Port Chicago Disaster: The United States

On the evening of July 17, 1944, the San Francisco east bay experienced a massive explosion that lit up the night sky. The blast originated at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine when a cargo ship that was being loaded with ammunition destined for the Pacific theater exploded.

The blast resulted in the deaths of 320 sailors and civilians. An additional 390 people were injured in the worst homefront disaster of WWII. The Port Chicago Disaster highlighted unsafe working conditions at Port Chicago. This led to hundreds of sailors refusing to load munitions.

As a result, the so-called “Port Chicago 50” were convicted of mutiny and were given 15 years of hard labor and a dishonorable discharge. By 1946, all but three were released. The incident sparked controversy over the proceedings, which many felt unfairly discriminated against the sailors.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead were enlisted African Americans. This fact and the subsequent court-martial resulted in widespread allegations of discrimination within the ranks. In 2019, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution officially exonerating the court-marshaled men.

How it could have been avoided: This disaster resulted from unsafe working conditions and a lack of training. Most of the dead weren’t trained to load munitions, and the hectic schedule created room for errors.^[1]

9 The San Juanico Disaster: Mexico

On November 19, 1984, a massive explosion destroyed the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tank farm in San Juanico, Tlalnepantla de Baz, Mexico. A series of blasts completely destroyed the farm, and it consumed 11,000 cubic meters (388,000 cubic feet) of LPG, amounting to one-third of Mexico City’s supply.

The explosion resulted in significant destruction at the farm and the nearby town of San Juan Ixhuatepec. The total death toll isn’t known, but it is estimated to be between 500 and 600 dead, with 5,000 to 7,000 people suffering severe burns. The San Juanico Disaster remains the deadliest LPG disaster in world history.

The explosion resulted from an LPG leakage, which was likely caused by a buildup of excess pressure. This resulted in the formation of a vapor cloud that ignited when it came in contact with an open fire pit around 5:40 am. The subsequent explosions were so massive, they registered on seismographs at the University of Mexico.

How it could have been avoided: The gas detection system installed at the farm was found to be ineffective. Had it been in proper working order, the leak would have been detected, keeping the system from rupturing, which led to the explosion.^[2]

8 The Oppau Explosion: Germany

On September 21, 1921, around 4,500 metric tons of ammonium sulfate mixed with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (mischsaltz) exploded. The resulting blast killed between 560 and 600 people, and it wounded around 2,000 more. The explosion resulted from the workers’ use of dynamite to loosen the chemical mixture from a 20-meter-tall (66-foot) silo. This was actually considered a safe and standard practice, and it worked about 20,000 times before the disaster.

On the day of the explosion, it turned out that the mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer wasn’t a 50/50 mixture as everyone believed. Tests performed after WWI found that any mixture consisting of less than 60% nitrate wouldn’t explode. Because of this, using dynamite to free the mix from the silo was common.

Unfortunately, the last time this was attempted, the dynamite acted as a detonator, and the silo exploded. It was so loud, people heard it in north-eastern France and as far as Munich, Germany. Around 80% of the buildings in Oppau were destroyed, leaving thousands homeless.

How it could have been avoided: The previous test’s conclusions about the mixture proved to be false. Additionally, the plant’s mixture wasn’t producing ammonium sulfate nitrate at the desired 50/50 ratio. Changes in the manufacturing process a few months earlier made the substance more explosive, which wasn’t considered. The explosion could have been avoided had these facts been known.^[3]

7 Courrières Mine Disaster: France

Mining accidents have been going on for as long as people have dug into the dirt. Still, none have reached the level of severity as the Courrières Mine Disaster. On March 10, 1906, a coal-dust explosion resulted in Europe’s worst mining accident. The explosion caused the deaths of 1,099 miners when it tore the mine apart around 06:30 in the morning.

Nearby residents woke to the massive blast, which didn’t kill everyone in the mine. Around 500 of the 1,795 miners that went into the mine were able to escape to the surface after the explosion. Unfortunately, most of them were severely burned or were suffering from having inhaled various mine gases.

The explosion was the result of a fire that began the previous afternoon. A fire broke out in the Cecil Pit, which the miners attempted to extinguish by depriving it of air. They sealed off the outlets, leaving the fire to smolder. Unfortunately, fissures in the pit’s walls released flammable gasses into the area. This caused the explosion, which blasted debris throughout the mine.

How it could have been avoided: The cause of the fire remains a contentious debate to this day. Still, it might have been avoided had the miners used safer Davy lamps in lieu of naked flame lamps. Ensuring there were no exposed flames in the mine should have prevented the fire and subsequent coal dust explosion.^[4]

6 The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: Ukraine

Most people know of this one, but it bears repeating again based on its massive impact. On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed what would become the most devastating nuclear accident ever seen. The No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, USSR, resulted in more cost and casualties than any other disaster of its kind. Unlike the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, the Chernobyl disaster resulted from numerous (avoidable) human errors.

The reactor was put into an unstable status during a planned safety test, but the operators weren’t aware of the risk this posed. They continued with their test, which completed and triggered a reactor shutdown. Unfortunately, the reactor didn’t shut down; instead, it began an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction.

The influx of energy caused the core to melt down, resulting in several explosions. This caused a fire and released radioactive contaminants into the air that blanketed Western Europe and the USSR with nuclear fallout. Around 100 people died as a result of the disaster. Still, as many as 16,000 people throughout Europe died due to the spread of radiation.

How it could have been avoided: A series of events—all of which could have been avoided—resulted in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Incorrect operating instructions, poor training, a faulty design, and operator negligence were all to blame for the accident.^[5]

5 Benxihu Colliery Disaster: China

During WWII, the Japanese took complete control of a previously joint Chinese-Japanese mining operation in Benxi Liaoning, China. Unfortunately, the mine experienced a catastrophic coal-dust explosion on April 26, 1942. When the explosion happened, it sent flames bursting all the way to the mine shaft entrance, which Japanese guards blocked.

The Japanese guards kept people from entering the mine, holding off all rescue attempts. To complicate matters, they also shut off the ventilation and sealed the pit opening. They did this without evacuating anyone from within the mine, leaving the surviving Chinese workers to suffocate and die. This increased the death toll significantly, which the Japanese reported as 34.

This number was later corrected twice until it was listed at 1,549 people. The Benxihu Colliery Disaster was the worst in the history of coal mining, which is saying something, as there have been numerous deadly accidents worldwide.

How it could have been avoided: It’s not clear whether or not the explosion was preventable. That said, a Soviet investigation found that most of the deaths occurred when the guards sealed the mine off, leaving more than a thousand to die of carbon monoxide poisoning, and those deaths were likely preventable.^[6]

4 The Collapse of Rana Plaza: Bangladesh

Garment factories have been the site of numerous workplace disasters, but they pale compared to what happened to the Dhaka garment factory in Savar Upazila in the Dhaka District, Bangladesh. Rana Plaza was an eight-story commercial building that housed the garment factory, and on April 24, 2013, it collapsed.

On April 23, cracks appeared in the building, which pushed the owners of a bank, several apartments, and some shops to close. Unfortunately, the building’s owners didn’t follow suit, and the garment workers were made to return the following day. The cracks widened, and during the morning rush, the building collapsed due to widespread structural failure.

How it could have been avoided: The Rana Plaza collapse is the deadliest structural failure and deadliest garment-factory disaster in history, but it didn’t have to be. The building collapsed due to several factors, all of which were avoidable. It was constructed on a filled-in pond, making for a poor structural base.

Additionally, the building wasn’t rated for industrial use, and it was constructed with three additional floors that weren’t included on the building permit. Cheap materials and an overt disregard for safety led to the building’s collapse, but had the owners heeded the warning the day prior, the building would have collapsed, but it wouldn’t have taken 1,134 people with it.^[7]

3 The Bhopal Disaster: India

The vast majority of the incidents on this list involve an explosion of some kind, but that’s not always the deadliest kind of industrial accident. On December 2, 1984, the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, had a leak. The gas leak would continue to the next day, though it didn’t result in an explosion…the reality is far worse.

The leak exposed the surrounding area to methyl isocyanate gas, a highly toxic organic compound used in the production of pesticides. It is incredibly deadly, so when a giant cloud of the stuff covered the land, the people suffered. The final death toll amount still hasn’t been determined, but the numbers range from at least 3,787 to as many as 16,000.

Deaths were horrific, but so too were the injuries. More than half a million people were injured, with many suffering debilitating and disabling injuries. The leak was caused via a backflow of water into a tank, which kept methyl isocyanate from properly flowing.

How it could have been avoided: The accident resulted from slack management and continuously deferred maintenance. It was so clearly the result of terrible oversight, the accident led to eight Union Carbide employees being convicted of death by negligence.^[8]

2 The Halifax Explosion: Canada

On the morning of December 6, 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc collided with the SS Imo in a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbor to Bedford Basin. The collision was problematic because the Mont-Blanc was carrying high explosives. After the crash, a fire broke out on board, which resulted in an incredible explosion estimated to amount to 2.9 kilotons of TNT.

At the time, it was the largest manmade explosion ever made, though nobody wanted to go down in history for the accident. The explosion killed 1,782 people in the immediate area. The deaths came from the explosion itself, the blastwave, debris, fires, and collapsed buildings in the immediate area. In addition, around 9,000 people were injured from the blast.

Almost every manmade structure within an 800-meter (half-mile) radius was utterly destroyed. Trees were snapped in half, and debris scattered for miles. News of the Halifax Explosion quickly spread, and it wasn’t long before an official investigation was implemented to determine what happened. In the end, it was found that both vessels were to blame for the accident.

How it could have been avoided: Both ships were granted clearance to enter the strait, but the Imo did so at excessive speed. When it approached the Mont-Blanc, an attempt was made to avoid an accident. Unfortunately, that became impossible, and the two vessels slammed into one another. Had the Mont-Blanc had a guard ship, and if the Iwo maintained safe speeds, the accident probably wouldn’t have occurred.^[9]

1 The Banqiao Dam Failure: China

The Banqiao Dam failure wasn’t related to a single dam that failed; it involved 62 dams failing consecutively. In August 1975, Typhoon Nina caused increased flooding, which resulted in the total failure of the Banqiao Dam and 61 other dams spread through Henan, China. The failure resulted in the third deadliest flood in recorded history.

The area affected was immense and included a population of 10.15 million spread across 30 cities. A total of three million acres, or 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 square miles), were inundated with water. More than five million homes were destroyed. While the death toll has never been confirmed, it’s estimated to be somewhere between 171,000 and 240,000.

The cause of the dam failure wasn’t the typhoon. Granted, it didn’t help, but the typhoon didn’t destroy the dams that failed. Instead, the barriers failed for multiple reasons ranging from poor construction materials and bad design to widespread ecosystem damage, which led to the destruction of a forested region, making the flooding possible.

How it could have been avoided: The main issue was how the dams were built—with an emphasis on water retainment and no concern over potential flooding. The Great Leap Forward resulted in widespread engineering projects like dams, but at such a speed that safety and quality were compromised. Had the dam been better designed and built to better standards, it’s likely they would have held under the strain of Typhoon Nina. ^[10]

Jumping into a lake or ocean seems like a nice way to cool off on a hot day. Or maybe playing in the waves is more your style by taking a long, relaxing swim. Just don’t think about what’s underneath the surface of the water. And definitely don’t forget your life jacket.

Even strong swimmers can fatigue, and suddenly, the open water becomes a danger zone. If you overexert yourself, you could pass out or not have enough strength to get to safety. And more than likely, a rescue is too far out to save you.

Also, when we step into open water, we don’t always think about whose home we’re entering. Wild animals. Oceans, lakes, and rivers are home to many creatures that have been known to attack humans. Open water swimming is more dangerous than people think, and here are 10 accidents that will make you think twice about diving into open water this summer.

10 Amy Martich Drowns During the NYC Triathlon

Amy Martich grew up swimming on her high school swim team in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Lifeguarding was always her summer job growing up. In 2011, at age 40, she drowned while competing in the New York City Triathlon. Another swimmer noticed her body unresponsive, face down in the water, and quickly called for help. She was pronounced dead later that day in the local emergency room.

This was very sudden and traumatic to her family. She was such a strong swimmer; her family had never worried about her swimming in open water. This goes to show that open water swimming can be dangerous even for the best swimmers. It’s no joke.

9 Kevin Frewen Drowns while Abalone Diving

On May 14, 2016, 57-year-old Kevin Frewen stayed under the water too long while abalone diving off the northern coast of California. He was among several friends, but while many of them swam back to their boat to warm up and take a break, stubborn Frewen went off to try to catch abalone.

Frewen went out alone, which is a big no-no in the ocean. Taking a buddy is much safer. His friends found him unresponsive soon after. He probably stayed under the water too long, triggering a heart attack under the water.

Frewen was very fit. He ran every day, coached high school wrestling, and worked a manual labor job. He was very tough, but his stubborn toughness is likely what cost him his life. It’s important to remember not to try to just “tough it out” in open water. Come up or take a break if you think you’re getting fatigued. There’s no shame in being safe rather than sorry.

8 Professional WWE Wrestler Shad Gaspard Drowns at the Beach

In 2020, WWE professional wrestler Shad Gaspard’s body was found at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California. He had been swimming with his 10-year-old son, Aryeh, when he got caught in a rip current. Lifeguards rescued his son, but Gaspard wasn’t able to be rescued in time.

It’s crazy to think that a day at the beach could end like this. Especially when we think about how he was famous. We often think that famous people are invincible, but they’re not. They are human, just like us, and this could happen to anyone. He was just playing in the waves with his son.

7 Dylan Ramsay’s Shocking Drowning

In 2011, 13-year-old Dylan Ramsay decided to go swimming in Hilltop Quarry to cool off on a hot summer day. He was found and pronounced dead at the scene. His mother has shared that he was a strong swimmer and very athletic. She has become an advocate for teaching people how dangerous open water swimming can be. Ramsay likely suffered from cold water shock, which many people don’t know anything about.

Cold water shock can cause your heart rate to increase and cause heart attacks.

His mother continues to tell Ramsay’s story to warn people about the dangers of open water swimming.

6 The “Jersey Shore Attacks”

In 1916, 28-year-old Charles Vansant was the first of the “Jersey Shore Attacks” that took place that summer. He was out swimming at Beach Haven when a shark attacked him. He was swimming with a dog that had been on the beach, so when people heard him screaming, they thought he was yelling at the dog. In actuality, he was being attacked by a shark. His leg was bitten, causing him to die of blood loss later that day.

Three other people were attacked on the Jersey Shore between June 1 and 12 in 1916, resulting in four deaths and one injury. Sightings of great white sharks and bull sharks were reported that week, so these are likely the species responsible for these attacks.

The ocean has dangerous animals that should cause you to think twice before taking a casual swim. Anything can happen.

5 Irene Chan’s Sea Lion Attack

In 2018, Irene Chan was attacked by a sea lion while swimming at Aquatic Park in San Francisco. She had been a frequent open water swimmer in the area for thirty years. In 2018 though, she was out swimming when a sea lion started swimming directly beneath her and then bit her knee.

She survived the attack but is very lucky. Had the sea lion nicked a tendon or artery, this could have been a very different story. Though cute and looking seemingly harmless, wild animals can be dangerous. They are called wild for a reason.

4 U.S. National Team Member, Fran Crippen, Drowns During a Race

In 2010, 26-year-old U.S. National Swimming Team member Fran Crippen was competing in an open water race in the United Arab Emirates. He had told his coach earlier in the day that he wasn’t feeling very well yet decided to compete anyway.

All the other swimmers made it in, but Crippen still hadn’t been seen. Some of the other swimmers went back to look for him. They found his body near the last buoy. He was unconscious. It is likely that he over-exerted himself and then drowned. The water was reportedly in the 26.7°C (80°F) range, so many swimmers felt heat exhaustion after the race. He has pronounced dead at the hospital soon after.

This shows us how dangerous open water swimming can be even for professional swimmers. Had Crippen been in a pool, he would have been rescued, but because he was in open water, no one was around him, resulting in his tragic death.

3 Santhosh Heddese Drowns at Kipu Falls in Hawaii

In June 2011, 35-year-old Santhosh Heddesse from Irvine, California, was vacationing in Hawaii. He decided to visit a popular tourist stop, the Kipu Falls Swimming Hole. This is a well-known spot to jump in and cool off on the island of Kauai. Heddesse jumped in and got sucked back into the water by a powerful current and could not make it back to land. He drowned and was found at the bottom of the pool an hour later.

This spot had five deaths in the five years leading up to Heddesse’s death. This has raised the question if there is a whirlpool current in this swimming hole. Perhaps this is not a great place for tourists to visit for a swim while on the island.

2 George Wendt’s Shocking Death

George Wendt, a 73-year-old high school teacher, drowned on September 11, 2021, during the 30th Annual Big Shoulders Open Water Classic. Around the 800 block of the race, Wendt was found unresponsive. He was then taken to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Wendt was a lifelong swimmer, so this was a huge shock to everyone who knew him. He was the president of the Chicago Masters Swim Club and had competed in the 2018 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships. He was also in his high school’s Hall of Fame for swimming.

His death was ruled an accidental drowning. This should be a lesson to all of us of just how dangerous open water swimming can be, even for strong swimmers. It shouldn’t be so casual.

1 Bethany Hamilton’s Famous Shark Attack

Perhaps one of the most well-known animal attacks is Bethany Hamilton’s. Multiple films and documentaries have been made about Hamilton. On Halloween of 2003, 13-year-old Hamilton was surfing with her friend at Tunnels Beach, Kauai. While taking a break, she was lying on her surfboard when a tiger shark attacked her, biting off her left arm. She lost 60% of her blood and almost died. Luckily, she was rushed to the hospital fast enough and survived the attack.

Hamilton was a nationally ranked surfer and very comfortable in the water. She had been surfing at this beach many times before. Hamilton’s spunk and tenacious attitude did not stop her from returning to the water. She still surfs, but now with her children and husband.

While Hamilton’s type of attack is very rare, it does happen. The ocean is a dangerous place, so you’d better stay alert and be careful as you adventure in the deep blue this summer.