If you’re anything like me, you’re terrified of dying, but also kiiiiind of curious about all the scary things that could happen at any moment. So when u/SoftDreamer recently posed the question on Reddit, “What can almost immediately kill you that most people don’t know of?” I couldn’t help reading it, even though it gave me a brand new list of things to be afraid of. For better or for worse, here are 29 things that could kill you super quickly:
2.
“Smoke inhalation in a house fire can kill you in as little as two minutes. It is extremely important that you get as low as possible when evacuating your home to minimize your exposure. Most people know that smoke is dangerous, but they don’t realize that you can die from inhaling it in such a short period of time.”
3.
“Not that it will immediately kill you, but I learned about people stranded in snowstorms who don’t know you need to keep snow clear of your tailpipe, or it will start filling the car with carbon monoxide. I randomly learned about it while reading a novel and had no idea. And now every few years, I read about a death because of it.”
4.
“Rotating machinery will grab any loose article of clothing and pull you in and turn you into a smoothie.”
5.
“Mixing different cleaning products. Like products for bathrooms, floors, and stuff. Some of these contain very aggressive shit, and some of it does indeed react with each other on a chemical basis. Bleach is especially a no-no for mixing. Chlorine gas is easier to accidentally create than you probably think, and if you don’t realize what you’ve just done, you could be dead a lot quicker than you wanted to be. A clean bathroom won’t help you then.”
6.
“Carbon monoxide is a big one; it’s scary because you can’t see or smell it. A faulty furnace or water heater can fill your house with it while you’re sleeping, and you’d just never wake up. Always good to have a working CO detector.”
7.
“Listen to me: If you see someone go into a confined, poorly ventilated space, and they don’t come out, DO NOT go in after them. If there’s some sort of toxic chemical buildup, it’ll knock you out long before you get a chance to help the other person. I’ve heard multiple stories where four or five people died because they kept following each other into septic pits and whatnot. Toxic gas buildup can get you very, very quickly.”
8.
“Cone snails. People see a pretty seashell, pick it up, feel a tiny pinch that they don’t think much of, and then die. There is no antidote, and the best anyone can do is make sure you’re out of the water (it causes paralysis, so a lot of people die by drowning) and keep you breathing long enough for your body to metabolize it as best as it can. It’s going to be hideously painful the entire time, though, if you make it through, and you’re probably going to end up with a lot of pain for a VERY long time and never quite be the same after.”
9.
“Pulmonary embolism. My girlfriend came to visit after work and said she wasn’t feeling well. I made some soup, gave her cold medicine, watched her favorite show with her, and sent her home to rest. I got a call from one of our friends the next morning, saying she had died in the night. My mother, an RN, told me they’re very difficult to spot and can kill very quickly. Anyway, hug the things you love.”
11.
“Diving headfirst. It can kill immediately if you misjudge the water depth, or cause permanent full-body paralysis.”
12.
“The blue-ringed octopus. They are one of the most venomous animals alive, and they can kill you within 15 minutes.”
13.
“A tiny tear in your aorta. It can rupture with zero warning.”
14.
“Taking your eyes off the road, especially if you’re on the highway.”
15.
“The ocean. A friend of a friend died in two feet of surf when he turned his back on the waves and a bigger one came out, flipped him, and slammed his head into the packed sand. Never ever turn your back on the ocean.”
16.
“Falling and hitting your head on a hard floor. People would be surprised how fragile the human head is.”
18.
“Poppers. Obviously, tons of people do them with no harm, but there is a condition called ‘Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome‘ which occurs when inhalants increase one’s heart rate quickly and severely enough that it immediately impacts the cardiovascular system, resulting in heart failure and death. Sudden sniffing syndrome can occur the first time you use inhalants.”
19.
“Commotio cordis — a single impact to the chest at just the right moment can trigger fatal arrhythmia almost instantly.”
20.
“Cold shock. Any kayakers, canoe-ers, or SUP (stand-up paddleboard) -ers, please learn about cold water safety. Falling into 60-degree or colder water without a wet or dry suit can sometimes trigger an involuntary gasp reflex, and if your head is underwater, you’ll drown. If not, you may uncontrollably hyperventilate and quickly become too weak to swim, even a few feet, or hold onto your boat. The colder the water, the stronger the cold shock reflex.”
21.
“Eating rice or pasta that’s more than three days old. There is a deadly bacteria that can grow — even if it is refrigerated, and especially if it’s not refrigerated. Just throw it out.”
22.
“Toxic mushrooms. A lot of wild mushrooms look edible, but a single bite of the wrong species (like Death Cap or Destroying Angel) can shut down your liver and kidneys within days. By the time symptoms show up, the damage is often irreversible. Unless you’re an expert mycologist, don’t eat anything you forage.”
23.
“Farm animals. Horses, cows — things that look harmless and cuddly, but once they decide you’re not allowed in their space, can turn deadly in a heartbeat. Their massive bodyweight alone is a pretty decent defense mechanism (cows do like to trample things), alongside the flexibility of a horse’s legs, for example. There are a lot of dumb ways to die from cute farm animals.”
24.
“Mixing benzodiazepines like Xanax with alcohol. Since they’re both sedatives, it can actually cause you to stop breathing in a relatively short time.”
25.
“High humidity and high heat, aka the wet bulb effect. It stops the body’s natural ability to cool itself, and at the upper limits of extremes, can kill within hours to even minutes. The Cave of Crystals in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, is one such place where these extremes exist. The environment is around 58°c/136°f with humidity of around 90-99%. Without specialized cooling equipment and suits, a person would die within a few minutes because they’d essentially drown in their own lungs.”
26.
“A garage door spring can turn you into a bloody, unrecognizable mess. Call a professional to fix it.”
27.
“Antifreeze. Everyone knows not to consume it, but if you get a good amount of it on your skin and don’t wash it off immediately, it can kill your ass! A friend of mine lost his son two years ago. He was repairing a truck, and the radiator hose burst, and he got antifreeze all over himself. There weren’t any facilities to wash up, so he had to just wipe off all he could. Twelve hours later, he was getting sick, and 48 hours later, he was dead. He was 42 and very healthy.”
28.
“Fevers. I had the flu one year, had a fever, went from the sweats to chills to sweats. I took a Tylenol and lay down. Woke up an hour or two later, sweating buckets, and my skin was on fire. Took my temp…105.8º. Somehow, I drove to the ER. The doctor was in disbelief at how I made it there, saying my organs were literally cooking. It was wild how quickly it spiked…and how bad I DIDN’T feel. I was sick…but not drop-dead sick. I almost went back to sleep…glad I didn’t.”
Okay, so now I gotta know: is your anxiety as spun up as mine is now? And is there anything missing from this list that I don’t want to know about, but also want to know about? Lemme know in the comments.
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