10 Dumbest Ways People Have Died😂 (True stories that make you go “seriously?”)

Protesting helmet laws — Philip A. Contos (2011) Contos was protesting New York’s mandatory-helmet law on his Harley. He slammed on the brakes, flew over the handlebars, hit his head and died. Medical examiners later said he almost certainly would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

Petting a cobra — Wayne Roth (1997)Already impaired, Roth stuck his hand into a friend’s cobra tank, got bitten, refused immediate medical care and went to a bar instead. By the time he sought help, it was too late: a fatal mix of drugs, alcohol and venom.

Jet-skiing over Niagara Falls — Robert Overacker (1995)To raise awareness for homelessness, Overacker rigged a jet ski with a booster and a parachute — but neglected to attach the chute to himself. The stunt failed; he went over the falls and did not survive.

Accidental self-defenestration — Garry Hoy (1993)Hoy liked to demonstrate how strong his office windows were by running into them. On the 24th floor, one such stunt ended with the glass failing and Hoy falling to his death.

Improvised bungee jumping — Eric A. Barcia (1997)Barcia taped a bunch of short bungee cords together, tied one end to his leg and the other to a railroad bridge, then jumped. The makeshift rig was too long — he fell seventy feet and died.

Switching seats while driving — Kelita Nicole Hicks (2010)On a moving convertible, Hicks stood up and tried to switch seats. She accidentally stepped on the steering wheel, the car lurched, and she was thrown from the vehicle. She later succumbed to her injuries.

Deadly alarm clock — Samuel Wardell (1886)Wardell rigged a clock to drop a heavy weight onto the floor as his wake-up alarm. After a night of drinking and slightly mismeasured setup, the weight fell on his head the next morning.

Devoted to dancing — Jean-Baptiste Lully The Baroque composer stabbed his foot while conducting (batons were large back then). The wound became infected; he refused amputation because he couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to dance — and the infection killed him.

Held it in — to death — Tycho Brahe (1601)After a royal banquet, Brahe wouldn’t excuse himself to use the toilet. He reportedly held it in for hours, later developed complications and died from a ruptured bladder.

Frozen with a chicken — Sir Francis Bacon (1626)Bacon, curious about cold’s effect on meat, stopped in the snow, bought a chicken and began stuffing it with snow as an experiment. He caught a chill, developed pneumonia, and died soon after.