How the 10 Worst Ways to Die Would Kill You
1. Trampled to Death
Imagine being at a mass function that involves hundreds of thousands of people around you.
Where can you run when danger arises?
Picture people at Times Square in New York City during New Year's Eve when the ball is about to drop.
What if around that time some sort of terrorist like bombing or shooting were to occur in the center of that humongous crowd?
New Year's Eve Massacre
Everybody would be scrambling/panicking, and there would be piercing screams and cries as the fear enveloped them.
You'd become powerless against the mob that's pushing and pounding through resulting in a tumble.
Next thing you know you're on the ground with thousands of human feet stomping your face and body causing you to bleed out.
You try to get up but it's impossible, and you're left gasping for air yet the relentless onslaught continues.
There's no escape as you're left in excruciating pain suffocating and bleeding to death.
What a horrific way to go!
2. Buried Alive
There have been countless movies and stories written about this topic, and it's been a common theme or act of many magicians or illusionists in the past.
But what if this really happened to you?
It's highly unlikely to occur because medicine has advanced to the point that it's improbable doctors would mistake you for a corpse.
However there have been occasions where people were believed to be dead only wake up as they're being dragged out to the morgue.
Still, it usually stops there before the funeral and burial occurs.
A more probable way of this occurring would be if some sadistic murderer decides to knock you unconscious, stuff you in a coffin, and bury you alive.
Then you may wake up hours later to find yourself in trapped in a small box under six feet of mud and darkness.
Can you imagine being claustrophobic, unable to move, and wait for death?
Being buried is easily one of the longest and most psychologically painful things someone would have to go through before death.
3. Wild Animal Attacks
It's the Walking Dead come to life except instead of zombies it's living animals (maybe cannibals).
Films like "The Revenant" have shown how brutal wild animal attacks really are, and let me tell you Leo got very lucky in that movie.
In real life most would not survive a monstrous grizzly bear attack. It's not only bears we have to fear though, there's wolves, lions, tigers, and of course sharks (Jaws anyone).
Even wild, angry dogs could rip you to shreds in a worst case scenario. This death would be up there in the most painful category because you would feel every bite and tear prior to bleeding out.
This is also a real threat especially for campers and hikers as well as swimmers and surfers where danger lurks in every corner.
The good news is that the risk of getting killed by sharks or other large animals is very low. In actuality it's the smaller, poisonous animals that pose a greater threat.
Despite the low probabilities, you wouldn't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when dealing with a lethal animal, and we have survival guides for a reason.
4. Plane Crash
The worst part of an impending plane crash is not about dying but those anxious moments leading up to it.
I can't imagine how the passengers of those planes on 9/11 felt like knowing death was inevitable.
On the other hand it wouldn't all be psychological. There would probably be some physical pain during a rapid descent.
You may get thrown or endure suffocation with a loss of air and rapid pressure changes possibly leading to unconsciousness, which to be fair is probably a lot better than the mental torture you'd endure.
Fortunately the chances of a crash is quite low and odds drop annually as technology and navigation continue to improve. However with so many people flying, it's one of those "what-if" possibilities.
I'm sure plane crash survivors (very rare) never thought it would happen to them thus the anxiousness will never really go away.
5. Death by Fire
In my opinion I think this would be the most painful way to die.
Every part of your face and body would be in agonizing pain for several minutes before you finally lose consciousness and pass away.
We hear stories of people dying in a fire all the time, so it makes it a very palpable threat. That's why I can't emphasize the importance of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in homes.
Unfortunately poorer, urban neighborhoods where citizens are stuffed into outdated, torn-down buildings lack these essentials along with outdated building codes.
Also those living in fire zones have to endure the annual wildfire season, which seems to get worse every year.
Regardless of where you live, we're all at risk particularly at night when everyone's sleeping.
It's absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking whenever we hear stories about families burning to death in their sleep, and sadly it happens far too often.
6. Electrocution
In terms of the death penalty, this method is vastly outdated but it hasn't been completely eradicated.
However, the majority of states opt for a lethal injection procedure because of it's supposedly more humane properties compared to inflicting tens of thousands of volts onto someone.
(By the way lethal injections are not painless at all)
Electrocution incorporates the "ouch factor" because of how it travels up and down your entire body, and sadly it's a very common occurrence outside the death penalty through electrical equipment mismanagement and lightning strikes.
We commonly mishandle electrical appliances particularly when trying to remove, change, or fix a large electronic device like a refrigerator, microwave, or washer & dryer, and a failure to oblige to safety rules can result in injury or death.
The cause of death when electrocuted if often from cardiac arrest where the heart suddenly stops, and it doesn't take much electricity to do this.
So don't ignore safety procedures because even the slightest error could have disastrous consequences.
7. Lethal Poisoning
The effects of lethal poisoning is devastating to your body and psyche.
After you become poisoned your body starts to feel numb, your head starts getting dizzy, and your stomach begins to hurt.
You feel nauseous and begin vomiting as your entire body feels like it's about to explode. The eyes become bloody red as the rest of your face gets darker.
You continue to spew vomit but this time there's blood and bile mixed in, and you begin to choke on it. You collapse on the floor in a pool of blood and vomit as your body aches and quivers in pain.
You beg for help but there's no one around to help you, and you can't even reach the phone to call for help.
The cries for help are evident, but you're alone convulsing until everything fades into darkness. After several minutes of torture you are finally knocked out cold.
Finally the heart and other organs like the brain stop functioning leading to your demise.
Doesn't sound like much fun does it?
8. Beaten to Death
With urbanization rapidly increasing, the chances of getting mugged and beaten continue to steadily rise.
When I was a student at Rutgers University I would receive police reports everyday of victims (students) getting punched and beaten over nothing, and yet it doesn't compare to most urban locales.
You may pay a hefty price when living near meager surroundings despite it not being your fault. However the very real dangers of beatings and muggings in urban communities is one of the biggest reasons why people move to safer, quieter places.
The last thing anyone wants to experience is a helpless alley way mugging.
Getting beaten to death elicits fear like no other because you don't know how far your attacker will go.
They could take your wallet and run in the best case scenario or rob you, beat you to a pulp, and even shoot you in the worst.
9. Drowning & Hypothermia
It's one of the more common methods of deaths that's more likely in the summer.
Whether it be drowning in the ocean, lake, river, or pool, it happens more frequently than we would like.
A lot of this has to do with people's idiocy because most drowning incidents are preventable.
Even worse is that many victims are small children who are often left unattended, can't swim, or get swept away by the water's force.
But whose fault is this?
I'd guess negligent adults or caretakers that could have prevented a senseless death/s. These are probably the same adults who foolishly disregard the warning signs of high waves and rip currents.
In non negligent cases drowning can occur any time a boat/ship capsizes due to an accident at sea because of either faulty construction, misdirection, or a storm/hurricane.
Our most famous example of this is the Titanic though the near freezing waters were a greater cause of death than drowning alone.
In fact along with drowning, hypothermia is probably just as bad and is often a secondary cause of death.
The worst part of drowning is the panic prior to death, which is why tips like treading water and staying calm are critical to saving your life.
10. Deadly Virus
Out of all the items on this list, disease is the most common method of death.
When you think about the most horrible ways to die, you often think of freak accidents or something that would hurt but doesn't disease fill that slot.
When someone whose been mentally and physically healthy all their lives suddenly gets cancer, then isn't that a freak accident and let's not forget the years of long lasting pain of chemotherapy and the cancer itself.
Besides cancer, heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide. Consider yourself lucky if you never get any serious illness and die peacefully because of old age.
Despite the improvements in medicine, there are always new diseases and mutations sprouting everyday, and you never know when one of them could get you.
The scariest part is that even the healthiest of people could contract a lethal illness.
There are ways to keep the risk factors lower than normal, but it won't guarantee you perfect health for the rest of your life.
So disease may not sound as imaginative or horrifying compared to other forms of death, but it's a lot closer to home than most of these.