Free Death by Misadventure: 210 Dumb Ways to Die by Dale Dreher

fell into deeper
water. Irish Times, August 19,
1996

    Deadly Pets
    205. Beware of Dog. Mark Russell, 24, drowned trying to rescue his dog after it fell
through thin ice on an Ontario lake in late January. Russell's
stepfather then drowned trying to save Russell. The dog swam safely
to shore. Toronto Star, January 23,
1996
    206. Once Bit, Twice Die. Joe Peters, 23, had his throat ripped out by his roommate's two
bull terriers. Peters was still recovering from the last time the
dogs attacked him. A month earlier, he was hospitalized for 12 days
with a punctured lung and bites to his arms and legs. On the night
of his death, Peters had recovered enough to resume his past time
of drinking then taunting and kicking the
dogs. Toronto Star, August 16,
1995
    207. Sssam Wantsss A Sssnack! In Commerce City, Colorado, a 15 year old boy was found
strangled to death. The culprit was found nearby – his older
brother's 11½-foot Burmese python. The family was shocked because
the cold blooded carnivorous reptile had never been
"aggressive" before. New York Times,
July 22, 1993
    208. Maxed Out. William Roach, 58, replaced his Rottweiler with a more ferocious
dog after it allowed a robbery of Roach's home in Manchester,
England. Unfortunately, the new Alsatian, Max, was just a little
too ferocious. Max attacked and killed Roach because he moved the
dog's food bowl. Roach had been warned about Max's attachment to
his bowl by the dog's previous owner. Roach bled to death after the
dog tore an artery in his leg during the
attack. Independent, June 19,
1991
    209. Historic Encounter. Richard Oley, 65, was butted to death by a ram while out for a walk
in the country. The bookstore owner died from massive injuries to
his upper body. The coroner ruled the death a misadventure
explaining, "It has not been known in the history of agriculture
for such an event to take place. It was therefore an unique and,
hopefully, isolated event." Independent, February 7, 1991
    210. Kennel Crush. Although they had been declined a license to operate an animal
shelter, Melany Campos and her younger sister continued to care for
stray and unwanted dogs at their 2 acre farm. Campos' love
affair with animals turned tragic when the 60 year old
slightly built woman was crushed by four 40 pound bags of dog
food. Campos' sister, a doctor, unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate
Campos who had been under the bags for several hours. The local
coroner speculated that Campos suffocated under the weight. The
sister tried to make sense of the accident, "My sister knew that
she wasn't supposed to touch the bags because they were stacked so
high; but maybe she was trying to reach something . . . I am still
unsure." Los Angeles Times, August 24,
1996

    Selected
Bibliography
    The World Health Report 1995 .
World Health Organization. Geneva: World Health Organization,
1995.
    Accident Facts 1996 Edition .
National Safety Council. Washington: National Safety Council,
1996.
    They Went That-A-Way .
Malcolm Forbes with Jeff Bloch. New York: Simon and Schuster,
1988.
    Dead Before Their Time .
Diana Karanikas Harvey and Jackson Harvey. New York: MetroBooks,
1996.
    Dead Men Do Tell Tales .
William R. Maples and Michael Browning. New York: Doubleday,
1994.

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