There are two ways to look at death: the first view is that it is all written; all preordained that events will occur in a particular way. The other view is that everything is completely and utterly random; that there is no purpose or any larger grand design at work. I read two recent reports of bizarre accidental deaths that further convinced me of the second view being correct.
Christopher Bergan came all the way from Norway to surprise his father in law in Florida. He knocked on the door and hid in the bushes. When his dad in law opened the door, he leapt out growling. His surprised dad in law shot him dead.
Mamta Rathi of Surat jumped from the 13th floor of her building. Clearly, she was trying to die. However she fell on a 69 year old man who clearly was making no such attempt. Poor Balu Gamit was returning from his morning walk when the woman fell on him. Both died on the spot.
This is the reason I am constantly telling women riding/riding pillion on two-wheelers to pull up their trailing scarf/dupatta/pallu every time I spot this on the road. Renowned dancer Isadora Duncan died at age 50 when her scarf got caught in the wheel of a car; breaking her neck.
Jamaican politician Marcus Garvey read reports of his own death in the papers which caused him to have a stroke, leading to his death.
Homer and Langley Collyer were famous for their hoarding habits and paranoia. Their home was full of newspapers, books, furniture, instruments they had collected as well as booby traps they had set up for intruders. Langley died when a booby trap crushed and asphyxiated him, his brother died of starvation.
Carrot is healthy isn’t it? It wasn’t for Basil Brown. A health nut, he was addicted to carrot juice and he literally overdosed on vitamin A (though there are some disputes about the actual cause of death). When he died, his skin was orange; like the colour of alleged cause of his death.
In 1975, Alex Mitchell made headlines when he reportedly died from laughing too much while watching a TV show. However, it is now thought that he may have died from a rare heart condition. His granddaughter was diagnosed with a similar condition; when she nearly had a cardiac arrest at age 23.
Richard Wertheim was a tennis linesman who was hit in the balls --- by a ball --- a tennis ball hit by Stephan Edberg while officiating a match. It wasn’t that injury which killed him directly. It caused him to fall out of his linesman’s chair and hit his head, causing his death.
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