accidental death

Read the latest news and reports of accidental deaths on Newser.com

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After Boy Is Shot in the Head, Great-Grandfather Is Charged

6-year-old accidentally shot brother, 5, with relative's improperly-stored gun: cops

(Newser) - Days after a 6-year-old boy fatally shot his 5-year-old brother, the children's great-grandfather has been charged. Rayfield Ruffin, 72, is accused of failing to safely store the firearm used in the Oct. 8 shooting that killed Karter Rosenboro, a kindergartener at Northwest Elementary School in Greenville, North Carolina, per...

Child Star From ALF Is Dead at 46
Cause of Death Revealed
for Child Star From ALF
UPDATED

Cause of Death Revealed for Child Star From ALF

Benji Gregory's death was said to be accidental, from heat exposure 'in the setting of' cirrhosis

(Newser) - A cause of death has been revealed for Benji Gregory, the ALF child star who died in June at the age of 46. According to the medical examiner in Arizona's Maricopa County, Gregory, who played Brian Tanner in the '80s sitcom, died an accidental death, due to "...

Man's Free Disney+ Trial Now a Headache After Wife's Death

Company says man whose wife died after eating at restaurant agreed in streaming contract not to sue

(Newser) - A widower suing the Walt Disney Co. over his wife's death in a restaurant at one of the company's Florida entertainment complexes has discovered there's a wrench in his complaint—all because he took advantage years earlier of a free trial of the Disney+ streaming service.
  • Death:
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Man Warning Kids Off Beach Killed by Lightning

Patrick Dispoto, 59, dies in New Jersey lightning strike after trying to warn kids out of the water

(Newser) - Authorities say a New Jersey man died over the weekend after getting caught in a thunderstorm and struck by lightning on the beach. Police in Seaside Park tell NJ Advance Media that a 911 call came in shortly after 7:30pm on Sunday, and when first responders found 59-year-old Patrick...

Woman, 22, Falls to Her Death in Columbia River Gorge

And a climber was also found dead on Denali in Alaska

(Newser) - A young woman died after falling off a cliff while hiking in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, officials said Monday. Elisha Angelic Macias, 22, was hiking with friends Sunday near Horsetail Falls, about 35 miles east of Portland. After separating from the group and going off trail, she fell an...

Eating Ultra-Spicy Food Did Kill Boy: Autopsy

Massachusetts teen died last year after eating chip made by Paqui

(Newser) - It was indeed a high level of the chemical found in spicy chili peppers that killed a 14-year-old Massachusetts boy last year, the state's medical examiner found. Harris Wolobah ate an ultra-spicy chip branded as the "One Chip Challenge," made by the company Paqui, at school in...

Girl, 15, Killed in Boating Hit-and-Run

Ella Adler was celebrating a friend's birthday in Florida

(Newser) - It was supposed to be a fun day: Ella Adler was waterskiing to celebrate a friend's birthday Saturday afternoon not far from Miami, Florida, when the 15-year-old fell into the water while being towed. Another boat hit her and then sped away, and Ella ultimately died from her injuries,...

Man Falls to His Death From Hot-Air Balloon

He fell while the balloon was over a residential area in Melbourne, Australia

(Newser) - A man fell to his death from a hot-air balloon Monday as it passed over suburban Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. The hot-air balloon took off from Melbourne's northern suburbs early in the morning and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the...

Georgia Woman Loses Her Life Trying to Get Dropped AirPod

She became trapped in machinery at golf cart factory, authorities say

(Newser) - A Georgia factory worker was killed in a freak accident after she dropped an AirPod under a conveyor at a plant in an Augusta suburb, authorities say. Alyssa Drinkard, 21, became caught in the chain that moves the machinery while trying to retrieve the earbud, according to a sheriff's...

Dad Dies Saving Son, 4, After Both Fall Into Frozen Pond

Maine man got boy to safety before succumbing

(Newser) - A Maine man and his 4-year-old son were out for a walk near their Carmel home around 6:30am Friday when both of them fell through the ice on frozen Etna Pond. Kevin Howell, 51, got his son to safety and told him to go get his mother, NBC News...

Boy Who Survived Cancer Dies 'Unbearable' Death

Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez, 9, was killed after crawling under moving school bus in Florida

(Newser) - Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2, but by age 9, the Florida boy was in remission and looking forward to moving on. That makes what happened at an Orange County bus stop this week doubly tragic: According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Elyas was killed...

Regulations Dragged as Home Item Kept Killing Kids

Cords from window coverings caused the death of more than 450 kids in the last 50 years

(Newser) - More than 450 kids, most of them toddlers, died from strangulation after getting tangled up in the cords of window coverings since the early '70s. An NBC News investigation—formatted via a timeline that tracks industry and government actions, alongside tragic firsthand accounts from parents—now asks why more...

Woman Dies After Falling Into Home's Hidden Well Shaft

Woman, 83, was helping her daughter move in South Carolina

(Newser) - An 83-year-old woman who went to help her daughter move died after falling down a hidden well shaft in the South Carolina home. Police say Dorothy Louise Downey was in the kitchen Sunday around 2pm when she suddenly stepped through a part of the floor and into the shaft, Fox...

Worker Inspecting a Robot Is Killed by It

South Korean man was testing robotic arm at produce distribution center when it grabbed him

(Newser) - Movies show us nightmare scenarios of artificial intelligence rising up and intentionally killing humans. That's not a reality, at least as far as we know. But accidents do happen, most recently in South Korea. On Wednesday, a robotics company employee was inspecting a robot used to move boxes at...

Teen Falls 90 Feet to Her Death While Rock Climbing

University of Georgia's Yutong Zhang fell during a climb near Alabama's Cherokee Rock Village

(Newser) - A University of Georgia student's outdoor adventure in a neighboring state ended in tragedy when she fell during a rock climb last weekend. The Cherokee County Coroner's Office confirmed that Yutong "Faye" Zhang, originally of Minnesota, died last Saturday around noon after she fell 90 feet while...

Mom Drinks a Fatal Amount of Water on Vacation
Mom Drinks a
Fatal Amount of
Water on Vacation
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Mom Drinks a Fatal Amount of Water on Vacation

Indiana 35-year-old dies of water toxicity

(Newser) - An Indiana mom on vacation with her family died in a rare case of water toxicity, when a person drinks too much water more quickly than their kidneys can clear it and their sodium levels drop, causing their cells to fill with water and swell. Ashley Summers, 35, was with...

3 People, Dog Die in Texas Cornfield Tragedy

They tried to rescue dog, each other from uncovered cistern

(Newser) - An underground structure used to store water in a Texas cornfield became a literal death trap for three people from Florida and their dog, police say. The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office says officers received a call around 1am Wednesday about three people trapped in a hole. The sheriff's...

Family Wants Answers After Daughter Killed by Lawn Mower

27-year-old woman was in overgrown area at Modesto, California park

(Newser) - Relatives of Christine Chavez, a 27-year-old woman killed in an apparent lawn mower accident in Modesto, California, say the police investigation was so careless that parts of her remains were left at the scene and they kept finding more during daily vigils. "I went there and I still have...

Man's GoPro Ends Up Filming His Fatal Drowning

Alaska man's body has not yet been found in lake where he disappeared

(Newser) - An Alaska man inadvertently filmed his own drowning on a glacial lake with a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet, but authorities who recovered the camera have not yet found his body, officials said Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers said teams would continue to search Mendenhall Lake for the body of...

Woman Dies Trying to Help Girl Who Slipped Over Waterfall's Edge

Both went over the side, but girl is expected to survive

(Newser) - A woman who was hiking with four teenagers at a popular southern California trail died when trying to help one of the teens last week. Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, was with "family and family friends" at the Three Sisters Falls in the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County...

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