The Pocket Book of Death. Rob DenBleyker

So much for thrill rides.

      

But before you swear off Disneyworld™, you should know that you’re six times more likely to kick it in an elevator or an escalator. Yep, more than 30 people a year die this way, and that doesn’t include the over 17,000 injuries.

      

And what about the wonderfully classy world of quad-bikes? Over 7,000 quad-bike-related deaths have been reported between 1982 and 2005.

       ‘YEP, STARVATION. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER CASE OF SOME KID PUSHING EVERY BUTTON.’

      Don’t Be Blue … Chew!

       For every 100 rushes to the emergency room for choking, there is one death.

       The Heimlich Institute claims that the infamous ‘Heimlich Manoeuvre’ has saved over 50,000 people from choking to death. But don’t think it’s just a people thing. You can use a modified version of the famed procedure on your pets too.

       Eighteen per cent of all choking-related incidents for kids under four were caused by coins.

       The sweeter culprit? Confectionary – which was responsible for 25 per cent of the incidents.

       ‘HE’S CHOKING…DO THE HEIMLICH MANOUEVRE!’

       ‘CAN’T…REACH…AROUND…’

      A Startling Look at Suicide

      

On average, one suicide occurred every 16 minutes in 2004 in the US.

      

Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all US men. Whites, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives have the highest rates.

      

Think suicide rates are higher around the holidays? Think again. In the US, the rates are actually lowest in the winter and highest in the summer.

      

Suicide rates are very high among senior citizens. There were over 5,000 Americans over the age of 65 who committed suicide in 2001.

      

The male suicide rate is higher in every country except for China.

      

In the US males are four times more likely to die from suicide, though females are more likely to attempt it.

      Women who get breast implants are three times as likely to commit suicide as other women in the US. Similar results were found in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

      It’s difficult to figure out the actual number of deaths caused by erotic asphyxiation. Many are classified as suicides because the victims’ families are too embarrassed to reveal the details surrounding the death.

      Punishment for suicide during the late Middle Ages was pretty tough – you could be denied a burial, your corpse could be tortured and your remaining possessions taken. Actions could even be taken against your remaining family.

       Suicide – San Francisco Style

      Bridges around the world have a problem with suicides. Maybe it’s the beauty of the water, the romance of the fall, the unlikelihood of survival. It’s just not clear. But the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is unlike any other bridge. It’s like the Starbucks^® of suicide sites. Since 1995, an average of 19 people takes the leap every year. They stopped the ‘official’ count when it reached 997. Two-thirds of the jumpers are men, and more than three-quarters are locals from the Bay area. There has been talk of putting up a ‘suicide barrier,’ but to date nothing has been put into effect. Bridge jumping is far from a graceful demise though. Bodies just aren’t made to fall around 250 feet in four seconds at a staggering 75 miles per hour.

       So, what exactly happens?

      

When you actually hit the water, your ribs will usually break. Sounds harmless enough, but the sharp edges of your newly cracked ribs will puncture a variety of internal organs – heart, lungs, spleen … it all depends on exactly how your body hits the water (feet first, side, etc.).

      

If you tear your aorta on impact, you’ll be subject to massive internal bleeding.

      

Your kidneys are generally ripped or torn on impact.

      

You can break your neck and rupture the disks in your neck and back.

      

You can break just about everything from your clavicle to your pelvis.

      You’ll either die from drowning or from the impact. Sometimes the impact doesn’t kill you right away though, and you could still be alive when you go underwater. If that’s the case, the internal bleeding from your organs will usually get you. It is estimated that 26 people have survived the Golden Gate jump, but it’s a fatal leap 98 per cent of the time.

      The Complete Manual of Suicide written by Wataru Tsurumi in Japan has sold well over a million copies since its publication in 1993. It details methods for a variety of different suicide options from hanging and electrocution to self-immolation and rates each one for things like effectiveness, pain, and preparations needed.

      According to the manual, the ‘perfect place to die’ is a forest at the base of Mount Fiji called Aokigahara or ‘Sea of Trees.’ Today it’s more commonly called ‘Suicide Forest’ after a record 73 bodies were found hanging in 1998. This record was broken in 2002 with 78 bodies discovered.

      Assisted suicide is a crime in every state except for Oregon. The Death with Dignity Act passed by a slim margin in 1994. A re-vote was taken by the citizens in 1997 after an injunction halted the act. No slim vote the second time around though … the Death Act passed with a 60/40 split.

      Death With