47 Terrifying Truths About Casual Activities That Can Turn Fatal

Cook here. For me it's those commercial industrial sized hobart mixers. Those things are out for blood and will absolutely amputate or pulverize your limbs if you aren't extremely careful.

For fishing, it’s definitely not wearing a life vest/PFD. 

Five d**d so far this year from the areas I fish and follow on social media. All the same story: they took the vest with them but didn’t put it on. .

Construction = everything will k**l you. The fatal four:

1) Falls (especially from 6’ or more)

2) Caught In Between (especially between heavy equipment)

3) Struck By (heavy equipment and materials huge here)

4) Electricity

But the biggest k****r of all: inexperience. It’s always the new guys with little training that get hurt and k****d.

Mailman, getting hit by other drivers in these tin cans we call vehicles, extreme heat, and dogs.

I work in Veterinary Medicine so the rate of people who off themselves is quite high anyway, but compassion fatigue is a big warning sign. .

Alcoholism is the widowmaker of the alcohol industry. From producers to salespeople, distributors to retail/bar sales. 20%+ alcoholism rate that I’ve seen many people ruin their lives in this career. It can be lucrative and a lot of fun but it can also take hold and be tough to shake.

I’m a musician… the two biggest hazards are either d**g use or driving home tired after a late gig.

For kayak fishing, it's a spring day over 75 degrees. Guys go out on their local pond or bay wearing shorts and a T instead of a drysuit, and accidentally capsize into water still in the 40s. The shock alone often causes them to aspirate water and drown. But you only have minutes to get out before you succumb anyway. And they're typically not wearing life preservers, which can't do much in these circumstances anyway except aid body recovery.

Back when I paddled whitewater, it was trees in the water, colloquially called a 'strainer'. Even in flat water with a strong current, a swimmer caught in a tree is often pushed down and drowns.

Scientific diver. Decompression sickness, or, "the bends" almost always means the end of diving and sometimes is a literal widow maker.

I work in manufacturing. Lockout tagout violations are our widowmaker.

Someone was just k****d at another site in our network by a machine designed to push stacks of fully-loaded milk crates (stacked up to 8 high) into a square to palletize them. Stepped in to fix a jam-up but didnt stop the machine properly. Every site had to have an emergency meeting on LOTO protocol.

Ladders. No, seriously. Ladders.

My profession has innumerable ways to get injured, sometimes seriously, but falls are the most common and most deadly. Just like with every dangerous thing(vehicles, power tools, electricity, heavy machinery, etc) people are super careful with them at first then get comfortable, then get stupid.

Eye doctor here. Not wearing safety glasses. It can take alot less to destroy an eye than you think. There are even documented cases of permanent damage to eyes from small nerf darts, let alone more serious trauma like from an airsoft or nail gun ricochet.

Psych nurse - Quit first job because mgmt wouldn't replace ceiling tiles where patients were starting to hide weapons. Head nurse and another quit too. Cops would drop violent patients off in cuffs and release them to us.

I’m a primary care physician. I’d argue it’s the “50 year old person who hasn’t been to the doctor in 30 years because they ‘don’t get sick’.”.

Brass player here. You can tear the orbicularis oris (muscle around your lips) by using improper technique, which easily creeps in if you’re overdoing it by playing beyond your endurance. I’ve had this happen, but was inspired to work toward recovery after reading about Colin Williams (trombone).

Also, focal dystonia. In sports it’s called the “yips”. This is a neurological issue where you cease to be able to perform a fine motor action, such as forming your embouchure, pressing your instrument’s keys with speed and coordination, etc. This has ended the careers of numerous virtuosos such as Warren Deck (tuba) and Phil Smith (trumpet) due to their inability to form their embouchure, as well as oboists and flutists due to their inability to press the correct keys.

These two problems turn musicians’ lives inside out.

Film crew: 12+ hour days + driving and stress. First ADs have a life expectancy of about 55 because of stress.

Cirrus aircraft. Often referred to as doctor k*****s.

A lot of rich guys go out, get their private pilots license, then go out and buy the most expensive aircraft they can find. It's a Cirrus SR-22. It's a complex aircraft to fly and a lot of low skill pilots get themselves k****d in it. They aren't forgiving to fly like a Cessna 172 or another type of Piper trainer

Back in the day it was the Bonanza V Tail.

Sparky here. I’ve seen the guys who have no fear of live voltage and they wind up getting hurt or k****d every time. It just takes the smallest mistake and you can only go so long without making one.

Armored truck driver/ ATM technician here. Biggest one is not wearing your vest when out of the vehicle. The threat is still there when you have the vest on, but your odds are a little better and your beneficiary will get a larger insurance payout if you have it on and something should happen.

In zookeeping where I was, zebras were known as keeper k*****s. I only worked with primates, birds, and a couple smaller carnivores. (Of which there are some more hazardous than others).