Talk:Lists of unusual deaths/Sourcing issues

This is a holding tank for content requiring additional sourcing, either because the given sources do not refer to the death as "unusual" (or some synonym thereof), or because the death has only one source and requires a second. Per WP:STALEDRAFT, any content not sourced within 6 months from addition should be removed. If proper sourcing can be found, please add to the main page and remove from the holding tank.

When adding to this page, please place the death under the appropriate header for ease of sorting.

Antiquity

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Victims of King Jie of Xia's Alcohol Lake
c. 1728–1675 BC According to the Han shi waizhuan and Liu Xiang's Biographies of Exemplary Women, several men, possibly up to 3,000, drowned in a man-made lake of wine when they were made to drink from it to entertain King Jie of Xia and his concubine, Mo Xi.[1][verification needed][2][failed verification]

Middle Ages

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Carloman II of France
6 December 884 The king of West Francia after Louis III, he died aged around 18 near Les Andelys. Hunting in "the forest of Basiu", he came across a wild boar. While attacking the boar, his attendant Berthold wanted to help him and accidentally stabbed Carloman in the shin. Carloman survived for more than a week before dying.[3][failed verification]
Li Yuanhao, Emperor Jingzong of Xia
19 January 1048 The founding emperor of the Tangut Western Xia dynasty died days after his nose was cut off in an attempted assassination carried out by his son, Prince Li Ningling. Ningling, together with Chancellor Mozang Epang, plotted to kill his father as revenge for seducing and marrying his wife.[4][failed verification][5][failed verification]

Renaissance

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes

Early modern period

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
John Kendrick 7 December 1794 The American sea captain and explorer was killed in Hawaii when a British ship mistakenly used a loaded cannon to fire a salute to his vessel.[6][failed verification]

19th century

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Hague and another female servant October 1881 A British servant of one Mr. Birchall was instructed by his master to retrieve a four-chambered pistol.[7] Hague did so, but while examining the gun he shot himself in the jaw, which caused instant death. He was discovered by another servant, who also shot herself demonstrating how Hague died.[8][failed verification]
Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 2nd Baronet 19 December 1881 The former British MP died after sustaining severe internal injuries when he fell on a turnip while hunting.[9][failed verification][10][failed verification]
George Taylor 27 July 1895 The tunnel watchman for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was killed by a falling cow while working at a south tunnel near Gallatin, Tennessee. An investigation confirmed that the cow was standing on top of the tunnel when it fell off the edge, landing on the watchman, killing him instantly. The cow was also killed from the fall.[11]

20th century

1900–1959

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Camille Jenatzy
8 December 1913 The famous Belgian race car driver and electric car designer was shot by newspaper owner Alfred Manoux [fr] after imitating an animal call. He died from the wound on the way to the hospital.[12][failed verification][13][verification needed]
Elbridge Rand Herron 13 October 1932 The 30-year-old American mountaineer and explorer died after slipping on a rock atop Cairo's Pyramid of Khafre and falling 300 feet (91 m). Herron had reached the top of the pyramid and was running down when he fell.[14] The son of social activist George D. Herron had recently returned from an expedition to Nanga Parbat before visiting Egypt where he met his death.[15][failed verification]

1960s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Elvira Quintana
8 August 1968 The 32-year-old Spanish-Mexican actress and singer died of a non-traumatic brain hemorrhage, pancreatic problems and kidney failure as the result of silicone and guaiacol injections applied directly on her bust and legs, liquids that severely damaged her body. The negligence of this was the result of being part of the early women to perform stetic procedures in Mexico.[16][17][verification needed][18][failed verification]

1970s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Enrique Aguilar 31 January 1971 The 36-year-old Mexican actor died on the recording location of a TV series pilot he was going to appear, after the teenage daughter of the owner of the house they were filming in, shot him in the neck with a Colt, .38 caliber while she was showing it to him. His death was ruled accidental.[19][20][failed verification][21][failed verification]
James Connolly 21 January 1973 After the 21-year-old construction company employee and three of his friends left a Sanilac County, Michigan tavern following a discussion about dangerous stunts that they each had done in the past, the group drove to a nearby farm in Bridgehampton Township during the early morning hours, where Connolly attempted to display a daring feat of courage by holding a half-stick of dynamite, lighting its three-inch fuse and placing it in his mouth like a cigar. Moments later, as he was reaching towards himself to remove the small explosive, it suddenly detonated, killing him instantly. Two of his friends survived with minor injuries while the third one escaped injury.[22][failed verification][23][failed verification]
Rosario Castellanos
7 August 1974 The 49-year-old Mexican writer and diplomatic from Mexico City who was fulfilling her duties as ambassador of Mexico to Israel, died in Tel Aviv from electrocution caused by a lamp as she went to answer the phone after taking a bath. The strangeness of her demise has given rise to theories of suicide and even murder.[24][failed verification][25][failed verification][26][failed verification][27][failed verification]

1980s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Kiki Herrera Calles 11 November 1983 The 55-year-old Mexican entertainer head home at night crossing a railroad with her car. What happened next is unknown, but the prevailing theory is that her vehicle became stuck on the tracks and, as she tried to flee when a freight train approached, one of her heels got stucked on the track too, being run over to death.[28][failed verification][29][failed verification][30][failed verification]

1990s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Leland Harold Cooley 29 September 1991 The 14-year-old was watching a shooting competition at the Dallas Pistol and Revolver Club inside an air gun range when a bullet from outside the shooting range missed a set of baffles and a berm by 3 inches (76 mm), bounced off a ceiling tile, and struck him in the head, killing him instantly.[31]

21st century

2000s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes

2010s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Elmer Oscar Barrera 27 April 2014 A 26-year-old male employee at the Wonton Food Company in Stafford, Texas died from multiple blunt trauma injuries after he accidentally fell inside a fortune cookie dough-mixing machine. Authorities from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science later confirmed that his death was ruled as an accident.[32][33]
Vera Hilda Williams 28 October 2014 Vera Williams, 77, swallowed a sharp piece of toast that tore into her esophagus, and had been to the hospital three times since 10 October, but was discharged. On 24 October she attended the Emergency Department, after vomiting a blood clot, which was eventually revealed to have been caused by a ruptured aorta. Williams' death, on 28 October, at Glan Clwyd Hospital, was estimated to be have been a "three in a million" chance.[34][unreliable source?][35][failed verification]
Carl Boutin 23 May 2018 The 27-year-old was headed west on highway 410 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, when a "flying deer" went through his windshield, killing him and the deer instantly. The deer had been sent airborne when it was struck by the vehicle of a woman driving in the opposite lane of the highway, which sent it careening over the median barrier right onto the young man's oncoming car in what could be described as a deadly game of "deer-pong". The woman who initially struck the deer survived with minor injuries.[36][failed verification][37][failed verification]
Linda Goldbloom 29 August 2018 The 79-year-old died four days after being hit by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium. Her death, the second such fatality in Major League Baseball history, was the first in nearly 50 years.[38][39][failed verification]
Jill Greninger 24 April 2019 The 35-year-old was killed by falling into or being pulled into a commercial meat grinder at a plant in Muncy, Pennsylvania.[40][failed verification]

2020s

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Aaron Henderson 4 March 2022 The 40-year-old CertiTemp employee and Winter Haven, Florida resident went to use a portable toilet while one of his colleagues drove a bulldozer to an embankment to park for the night at the North Central Landfill in nearby Auburndale. The front blade of the bulldozer was nearly four feet off the ground, partially obstructed the driver's view, and the operator accidentally ran over the portable toilet the man was using, crushing the man to death.[41][failed verification][42][failed verification]
Lillian Curtis and Lloyd Curtis Sr. 19 January 2023 The 72-year-old woman and her 77-year-old husband died after a Denny's sign in Columbia, Kentucky fell and partially crushed a parked car they were passengers in. The driver of the vehicle sustained chest injuries but survived.[43][failed verification]
Aiden Sagala 7 March 2023 On 2 March 2023, the 21-year-old supermarket worker from Auckland, New Zealand, was gifted from his employer Baltej Singh a case of beverage cans labeled as Honey Bear House Beer, a Canadian imported beer. The cans contained liquid methamphetamine, which Sagala unwittingly drank, causing his fatal poisoning as he died after five days in a coma. Investigation into Sagala's death led to Singh's 2025 conviction for manslaughter and the uncovering of a smuggling ring forwarding 747 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at NZ$36 million, the largest in New Zealand history.[44][failed verification][45][failed verification]
Brandon Patty 1 June 2023 The 26-year-old man was killed at a Gastonia, North Carolina group home after being struck in the head during a dispute by a toilet lid held by a 57-year-old man who lived in the same home. He was pronounced dead on-scene. Authorities later charged the 57-year-old with first-degree murder in connection with Patty's death.[46][failed verification][47][failed verification]
Gursimran Kaur 19 October 2024 On October 19, 2024, the 19-year-old Walmart employee was found dead in Walmart's walk-in baking oven in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to the ongoing investigation, no evidence of foul play was found.[48][49]
Takashi Shishido 2 May 2025 The 81-year-old Japanese man died after the blade of a wind turbine broke away and fell to the ground. He was found unconscious with head injuries. The link between the blade and his death is under investigation.[50][failed verification][51][failed verification]
Denise Morey 23 June 2025 The 60-year-old women parked her car on a steep hill, exited the vehicle, and was killed when the vehicle rolled backwards and hit her in the suburb of Knocknaheeny, Cork.[52][failed verification][53] The only other sources I could find were from deprecated sources like The Irish Sun and The Daily Mail, so it ain't looking good. ZionniThePeruser (talk) 15:05, 15 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Unknown teenager 13 July 2025 A 19-year-old worker at a food processing plant in Vernon, California, was killed after being sucked into a meat grinder he was in the process of cleaning.[54][failed verification]
Antônio Romão 6 December 2025 The 72-year-old man in Piacatu, São Paulo was crossing the street when two dogs were running fast on the street. One of them ended up acidentally crashing with him, causing him to fall and hit his head, resulting in damage that resulted in tetraplegia and death 4 months later.[55]

Animal deaths

Name of person/s Image Date Details Notes
Rabbit 16 May 2025 During free practice for the 2025 Imola Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly ran over a rabbit with his Alpine A525 after it wandered onto the circuit. The rabbit was killed immediately.[56][failed verification]


References

  1. ^ Lienü zhuan (列女傳) scroll 7 chapter on Jie of Xia with Mo Xi
  2. ^ Marshall, S.J (2002). The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the I Ching. Columbia university press. pp. 177–178. ISBN 978-0-231-12299-3.
  3. ^ "Annals of Vedastin". thelatinlibrary. Abbey of St. Vaast. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  4. ^ Twitchett, Denis (1994). The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 6: Alien Regimes and Border States. Cambridge University Press. p. 190. ISBN 0521243319.
  5. ^ Shen Kuo, Mengxi Bitan (梦溪笔谈; Dream Pool Essays, Volume 25) (1088)
  6. ^ Boit, John (1981). Hayes, Edmund (ed.). Log of the Union: John Boit's Remarkable Voyage to the Northwest Coast and Around the World, 1794-1796. Oregon Historical Society. pp. xviii, xxviii–xxxvi, 127–132. ISBN 9780875950891. Retrieved 2020-02-29 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Pinheiro, Maria (2016-12-09). "9 of the Strangest Victorian Deaths Reported in the Newspapers". Bizarre. The Lineup. Retrieved 2024-08-18. Then, in an absurd case of irony, the servant managed to duplicate Hague's fate.
  8. ^ "Tragic Affair at Widnes". The Yorkshire Herald and the York Herald. York, North Yorkshire, England. 1881-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-20 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Death of Sir William Gallway". The Northern Echo. 1881-12-20. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  10. ^ "Andy McSmith's Diary: The enemy within Chequers at Sam Cam's delayed 40th". UK Politics. The Independent. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  11. ^ "Remarkable death - Tunnel watchman killed by a falling cow". The Knoxville Tribune. 1895-07-28. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "JENATZY SHOT DEAD; Famous Belgian "Red Devil" Auto Racer Killed in Hunting Accident". The New York Times. Marconi Company. 9 December 1913. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  13. ^ Lehbrink, Hartmut (2009). Racing for Mercedes-Benz: A Dictionary of the 240 Fastest Drivers of the Marque. Königswinter: Heel. p. 24. ISBN 978-3-86852-103-0.
  14. ^ E.K. (1933). "Elbridge Rand Herron, 1902-1932" (PDF). American Alpine Journal. Vol. 2, no. 1. pp. 110–113. Retrieved 23 October 2025. It seems the final irony of his short life, with all its broken promise, that he should have met the death he did.
  15. ^ "FALL FROM PYRAMID KILLS MOUNTAINEER; Elbridge R. Herron of the Nanga Parbat Expedition Was Sightseeing in Egypt. SLIPPED IN THE DESCENT 451-Foot Plunge Fatal to New Yorker, Who Had Climbed 23,000 Feet In Himalayas". The New York Times. 1932-10-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  16. ^ "Penultimátum". La Jornada (in Spanish). 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2026-02-08. Entre nosotros, la primera víctima mortal por querer mejorar su figura fue Elvira Quintana, actriz y cantante de ranchero, de fama hace medio siglo...
  17. ^ "La actriz mexicana que murió a los 32 años por inyecciones de silicona". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2021-08-21. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  18. ^ "Elvira Quintana, la bella actriz que murió a los 32 años por retocarse con silicona". Yahoo en Español Vida y Estilo (in Spanish). 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  19. ^ "La trágica muerte de Enrique Aguilar en un set de grabación" [The tragic on-set death of Enrique Aguilar]. Infobae (in Spanish). 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2026-02-08. Algunos actores de la época de oro del cine mexicano murieron de formas trágicas... pero pocos en medio de la filmación de una serie, como fue el caso de Enrique Aguilar. [The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema had several actors die tragically... but few in the middle of filming, as was the case of Enrique Aguilar.]
  20. ^ "Muertes y accidentes en plena filmación". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2022-10-19. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  21. ^ "La broma que terminó en tragedia: así murió el actor Enrique Aguilar Bretón". El Sol de México (in Spanish). 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  22. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/11709177
  23. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/31436701
  24. ^ "ACTA DE DEFUNCION Núm. UNO del finado Rosario Castellanos Figueroa" (PDF). CDMX (in Spanish). 1974-08-08. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-02-07. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  25. ^ "Lucina Kathmann: Mujer que sabe latín (Español)". www.cordite.org.au (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 May 2007.
  26. ^ "Lo cotidiano, de Rosario Castellanos". Archiletras (in Mexican Spanish). 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  27. ^ "Prendida de las lamparas". INBAL - Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (in Mexican Spanish). 2025. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  28. ^ "La trágica muerte de la primera esposa de José José". Univision (in Mexican Spanish). 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  29. ^ "José José: la misteriosa y trágica muerte de su primer esposa, Kiki Herrera". El Heraldo de México (in Mexican Spanish). 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  30. ^ "José José: la sombría historia detrás de la muerte de Kiki, su primera esposa". El Comercio Perú (in Mexican Spanish). 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  31. ^ "The Magic Bullet". Forensic Files. Season 1. Episode 2. 17 October 1996. The Learning Channel. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Body Found in Fortune Cookie Dough Mixer Identified". ABC News. 2014-05-01. Retrieved 2025-03-27. A fellow employee found the man deceased in the machine.
  33. ^ "Body Found in Fortune Cookie Dough Mixer Identified". KTRK-TV. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2025-03-27. Houston police do not suspect foul play.
  34. ^ Hughes, Gareth (2015-09-19). "Woman dies after eating piece of TOAST in "three in a million" tragedy". Inquests. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  35. ^ Jones, Nicola (2015-11-06). "Williams-2015-0428" (PDF). Judiciary.UK. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  36. ^ QMI, Agence (2018-05-23). "Sherbrooke : un chevreuil provoque une collision mortelle". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  37. ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Justice et faits divers- (2018-05-23). "Accident mortel sur l'autoroute 410 à Sherbrooke : la victime identifiée". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  38. ^ "A baseball killed a woman at Dodger Stadium, MLB's first foul-ball death in nearly 50 years". Morning Mix. The Washington Post. 2018-08-28.
  39. ^ "Coroner: Fan struck in head by foul ball during Dodgers game died of blunt force injury". ESPN. February 4, 2019.
  40. ^ "Pennsylvania woman killed in meat grinder accident". BBC News. 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  41. ^ Fieldstadt, Elisha (2022-03-08). "Landfill worker in port-a-potty crushed by bulldozer in 'tragic' accident, officials say". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-03-08. The sheriff's office called the incident "a tragic, industrial accident," and Henderson's manner of death has since been officially ruled accidental.
  42. ^ "Florida Man Inside Porta-Potty at Landfill Crushed by Bulldozer in Freak Accident, Police Say". Inside Edition. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07. An investigation is underway, but authorities have described Henderson's death as a "tragic, industrial accident," The New York Post reported.
  43. ^ Neal, Caroline. "Settlement reached after 2023 Denny's sign accident that killed Kentucky couple". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  44. ^ Haines, Avery; Loiero, Joseph; Vescera, Zak (15 October 2025). "Meth disguised as Canadian beer kills 21-year-old in New Zealand". CTV News. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  45. ^ "March methamphetamine bust biggest in New Zealand's history, police confirm". Radio New Zealand. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  46. ^ WBTV Web Staff (2023-06-02). "Police: Man killed with toilet tank lid in Gastonia home, suspect charged". WBTV. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  47. ^ WSOCTV.com News Staff (2023-06-02). "Police: Man accused of hitting Gastonia man with lid of toilet tank, killing him". Local. WSOC-TV. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  48. ^ Cross, Greta (2024-11-19). "A month after teen's body was found in Walmart walk-in oven, police rule out foul play". World. USA Today. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  49. ^ Hampshire, Gareth (2025-02-03). "Halifax Walmart reopens 3 months after employee's death". Nova Scotia. CBC.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-09. Halifax Regional Police said last November there was no evidence of foul play.
  50. ^ Author, No (2025-05-02). "Man dies after wind turbine blade falls in an Akita park". Japan. The Japan Times. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  51. ^ "Wind turbine blade falls in northern Japan, one man dies". NHK World-Japan. 2025-05-02. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  52. ^ "Woman dies 11 days after being hit by car". The Irish Times. 2025-07-06. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  53. ^ Rockson, Gabrielle (2025-07-07). "Mom of 2 Dies After Being Struck by Her Own Parked Car on Steep Hill in Freak Accident: Reports". People.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  54. ^ "Teenager dies after falling into a meat grinder at food processing factory in California". The Independent. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  55. ^ "Morre idoso 'atropelado' por cachorro que corria na rua no interior de SP" [Elderly man dies after being 'run over' by a dog running in the street in the interior of São Paulo state]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). December 8, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  56. ^ Collantine, Keith (2025-05-16). "Gasly damaged front wing and floor hitting rabbit in first practice". RaceFans. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Lists_of_unusual_deaths/Sourcing_issues