accidental death

Read the latest news and reports of accidental deaths on Newser.com

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Man Falls to His Death From Hot-Air Balloon

He fell while the balloon was over a residential area in Melbourne, Australia

(Newser) - A man fell to his death from a hot-air balloon Monday as it passed over suburban Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. The hot-air balloon took off from Melbourne's northern suburbs early in the morning and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the...

Georgia Woman Loses Her Life Trying to Get Dropped AirPod

She became trapped in machinery at golf cart factory, authorities say

(Newser) - A Georgia factory worker was killed in a freak accident after she dropped an AirPod under a conveyor at a plant in an Augusta suburb, authorities say. Alyssa Drinkard, 21, became caught in the chain that moves the machinery while trying to retrieve the earbud, according to a sheriff's...

Dad Dies Saving Son, 4, After Both Fall Into Frozen Pond

Maine man got boy to safety before succumbing

(Newser) - A Maine man and his 4-year-old son were out for a walk near their Carmel home around 6:30am Friday when both of them fell through the ice on frozen Etna Pond. Kevin Howell, 51, got his son to safety and told him to go get his mother, NBC News...

Boy Who Survived Cancer Dies 'Unbearable' Death

Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez, 9, was killed after crawling under moving school bus in Florida

(Newser) - Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2, but by age 9, the Florida boy was in remission and looking forward to moving on. That makes what happened at an Orange County bus stop this week doubly tragic: According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Elyas was killed...

Regulations Dragged as Home Item Kept Killing Kids

Cords from window coverings caused the death of more than 450 kids in the last 50 years

(Newser) - More than 450 kids, most of them toddlers, died from strangulation after getting tangled up in the cords of window coverings since the early '70s. An NBC News investigation—formatted via a timeline that tracks industry and government actions, alongside tragic firsthand accounts from parents—now asks why more...

Woman Dies After Falling Into Home's Hidden Well Shaft

Woman, 83, was helping her daughter move in South Carolina

(Newser) - An 83-year-old woman who went to help her daughter move died after falling down a hidden well shaft in the South Carolina home. Police say Dorothy Louise Downey was in the kitchen Sunday around 2pm when she suddenly stepped through a part of the floor and into the shaft, Fox...

Worker Inspecting a Robot Is Killed by It

South Korean man was testing robotic arm at produce distribution center when it grabbed him

(Newser) - Movies show us nightmare scenarios of artificial intelligence rising up and intentionally killing humans. That's not a reality, at least as far as we know. But accidents do happen, most recently in South Korea. On Wednesday, a robotics company employee was inspecting a robot used to move boxes at...

Teen Falls 90 Feet to Her Death While Rock Climbing

University of Georgia's Yutong Zhang fell during a climb near Alabama's Cherokee Rock Village

(Newser) - A University of Georgia student's outdoor adventure in a neighboring state ended in tragedy when she fell during a rock climb last weekend. The Cherokee County Coroner's Office confirmed that Yutong "Faye" Zhang, originally of Minnesota, died last Saturday around noon after she fell 90 feet while...

Mom Drinks a Fatal Amount of Water on Vacation
Mom Drinks a
Fatal Amount of
Water on Vacation
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Mom Drinks a Fatal Amount of Water on Vacation

Indiana 35-year-old dies of water toxicity

(Newser) - An Indiana mom on vacation with her family died in a rare case of water toxicity, when a person drinks too much water more quickly than their kidneys can clear it and their sodium levels drop, causing their cells to fill with water and swell. Ashley Summers, 35, was with...

3 People, Dog Die in Texas Cornfield Tragedy

They tried to rescue dog, each other from uncovered cistern

(Newser) - An underground structure used to store water in a Texas cornfield became a literal death trap for three people from Florida and their dog, police say. The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office says officers received a call around 1am Wednesday about three people trapped in a hole. The sheriff's...

Family Wants Answers After Daughter Killed by Lawn Mower

27-year-old woman was in overgrown area at Modesto, California park

(Newser) - Relatives of Christine Chavez, a 27-year-old woman killed in an apparent lawn mower accident in Modesto, California, say the police investigation was so careless that parts of her remains were left at the scene and they kept finding more during daily vigils. "I went there and I still have...

Man's GoPro Ends Up Filming His Fatal Drowning

Alaska man's body has not yet been found in lake where he disappeared

(Newser) - An Alaska man inadvertently filmed his own drowning on a glacial lake with a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet, but authorities who recovered the camera have not yet found his body, officials said Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers said teams would continue to search Mendenhall Lake for the body of...

Woman Dies Trying to Help Girl Who Slipped Over Waterfall's Edge

Both went over the side, but girl is expected to survive

(Newser) - A woman who was hiking with four teenagers at a popular southern California trail died when trying to help one of the teens last week. Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, was with "family and family friends" at the Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County...

Suit: Arby's Worker Locked in Freezer 'Beat Her Hands Bloody'

Body of Arby's worker Nguyet Le was found by her son, lawsuit states

(Newser) - The family of an Arby's worker found dead in a walk-in freezer earlier this month is suing the franchise owner and the chain's parent company. The suit states that a former employee says problems with the latch on the freezer door at the New Iberia, Louisiana, location were...

Cops: Teen's Quest for Social Media Post Kills Him

It happened early Saturday on Los Angeles' 6th Street Viaduct

(Newser) - A 17-year-old boy fell to his death this weekend while climbing a Los Angeles bridge in an apparent social media stunt, police said. Police were sent to the 6th Street Viaduct around 2am Saturday and found the boy, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. His name wasn't immediately...

Hammer of Gun in Rust Shooting Possibly Modified

Prosecutors request forensic testing of the revolver, armorer's jacket

(Newser) - Investigators believe the gun Alec Baldwin was handling when it fired a bullet that killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins may have been intentionally modified. In a motion requesting forensic testing of the .45 Long Colt revolver and ammunition, New Mexico special prosecutors say "the modification appears to be related...

NPS Worker Dies While Skiing in Denali

Witness says Eric Walter triggered avalanche in Alaska preserve

(Newser) - A National Park Service staffer died last week in Denali National Park & Preserve, in an avalanche he himself may have triggered. In a Friday statement cited by CBS News , the NPS reports that Eric Walter was killed Thursday while taking part in some backcountry skiing on a "north-facing...

Teen Killed in Outer Banks When Sand Dune Collapses

Trapped him in a hole that had been dug into the side

(Newser) - A 17-year-old boy visiting North Carolina's Outer Banks from Virginia died when a hole dug into the side of a sand dune collapsed on top of him Saturday. "At approximately 2pm, seashore law enforcement rangers responded to a 911 call regarding a teenager trapped in a hole,"...

Teen Equestrian Killed by Her Horse During Competition

Sunday incident in Florida triggered by horse planting its left foot for 'unknown reasons'

(Newser) - A 15-year-old equestrian's horse tripped during competition on Sunday and suffered a rotational fall that ended up causing the Florida girl's death. Hannah Serfass was roughly halfway through the course of a jumper event at the Fox Lea Farm Spring Concours I in Venice when the incident happened....

Worker Dies in 'Tragic Event' Outside Terminal Gate

American Airlines employee's service vehicle collided with jet bridge in Austin: officials

(Newser) - An American Airlines employee died at a Texas airport on Thursday after suffering "traumatic injuries" in a crash with the bridge that connects a plane to a terminal gate. The employee, who has not been identified, was operating a service vehicle that struck the jet bridge, according to authorities,...

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