Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Endings
Most people featured in major headlines are politicians, entertainers, or public figures, but occasionally an otherwise ordinary person becomes permanently associated with one remarkable event. The circumstances surrounding these deaths ranged from failed inventions and workplace accidents to strange coincidences that seemed almost impossible. Although several stories have been exaggerated through retelling, the central events below are supported by historical records, official investigations, or contemporary reporting. Here are 20 regular people who died a headline-worthy death.
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1. Garry Hoy
Toronto lawyer Garry Hoy liked demonstrating the strength of the windows in his high-rise office by throwing himself against them. During a 1993 tour for prospective students, the glass remained intact, but the entire window separated from its frame. Hoy fell from the 24th floor, turning a familiar office stunt into an internationally reported tragedy.
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2. Franz Reichelt
Franz Reichelt was a Paris tailor who designed a wearable parachute suit for pilots. In 1912, he received permission to conduct a test from the Eiffel Tower, supposedly using a mannequin, but decided to jump himself. The suit failed to open properly, and his fatal fall was captured on film by waiting journalists.
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3. Jennifer Strange
Jennifer Strange entered a Sacramento radio contest in 2007 hoping to win a video game console for her children. Contestants drank increasing amounts of water without using the restroom, despite warnings that excessive consumption could be dangerous. Strange later died from water intoxication.
4. Alex Mitchell
British bricklayer Alex Mitchell sat down to watch an episode of the television comedy The Goodies in 1975. According to his wife, he laughed continuously for roughly 25 minutes before collapsing and dying. Decades later, doctors suggested that an inherited heart rhythm disorder may have made the prolonged laughing fit especially dangerous.
5. Gloria Ramirez
Gloria Ramirez entered a California emergency room in 1994 while seriously ill with advanced cancer. Several medical workers reported strange odors and then experienced fainting, nausea, or breathing problems while treating her. Ramirez died that evening, and although investigators proposed chemical explanations, the case of the so-called “Toxic Lady” has never been resolved beyond dispute.
6. Mary Reeser
Mary Reeser was found dead in her Florida apartment in 1951 after an unusually intense fire had largely consumed her body and chair. Investigators instead believed her clothing caught fire and that body fat helped sustain a slow, concentrated blaze.
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7. Basil Brown
English health enthusiast Basil Brown reportedly consumed enormous quantities of carrot juice and vitamin A supplements. He died in 1974 after developing severe liver damage associated with excessive vitamin A intake.
8. Bobby Leach
Bobby Leach survived going over Niagara Falls inside a metal barrel in 1911, suffering serious injuries but earning international attention. Years later, while traveling in New Zealand, he reportedly slipped on an orange peel and badly injured his leg. The leg was eventually amputated, and complications from the injury contributed to his death in 1926.
9. David Grundman
Arizona resident David Grundman went into the desert with a friend in 1982 and began shooting at large cactuses. After he fired at a tall saguaro, a heavy section broke away and fell directly onto him.
10. John Edward Jones
Medical student John Edward Jones became trapped upside down inside Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave in 2009. Rescue crews worked for more than a day but couldn’t remove him from the extremely narrow passage, and he eventually suffered cardiac arrest.
11. Debbie Stone
Debbie Stone was an 18-year-old employee at Disneyland when she died in 1974 while working at the America Sings attraction. She became trapped between a rotating wall and a stationary section of the theater as the audience areas moved.
12. João Maria De Souza
Brazilian resident João Maria de Souza was asleep beside his wife in 2013 when a cow fell through the roof of their home. The animal had wandered onto the property from a hillside behind the building and stepped onto the fragile roofing material.
13. Brian Wells
Pizza delivery driver Brian Wells entered a Pennsylvania bank in 2003 with a device locked around his neck and demanded money. Police arrested him nearby, but the device exploded before a bomb squad could safely remove it. Investigators later uncovered an elaborate robbery plot, although debate continued over how much Wells knew beforehand.
14. Karen Wetterhahn
Dartmouth chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn was conducting laboratory research in 1996 when a small quantity of dimethylmercury spilled onto her gloved hand. She died in 1997, prompting laboratories worldwide to strengthen their protective procedures for handling dangerous chemicals.
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15. Clement Vallandigham
Ohio lawyer Clement Vallandigham was defending a man accused of murder in 1871 when he attempted to demonstrate an alternative explanation for the shooting. Believing a pistol was unloaded, he placed it in his pocket and reenacted how the victim might have accidentally shot himself. The weapon fired, fatally injuring Vallandigham, although his demonstration reportedly helped secure his client’s acquittal.
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16. Jimi Heselden
British businessman Jimi Heselden owned the company that manufactured Segway personal transporters. In 2010, he was riding one of the machines near his estate when he went over a cliff and fell into a river. An inquest concluded that he may have reversed to make room for a pedestrian before losing control.
17. José Luis Ochoa
California resident José Luis Ochoa attended an illegal cockfight in 2011 where the birds had sharp blades attached to their legs. During the event, one of the roosters struck him in the lower leg. Ochoa suffered a severe wound and died after reaching a hospital.
18. Humberto Hernandez
Oakland resident Humberto Hernandez was walking with his wife in 2007 when a vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant. Water pressure launched the heavy hydrant through the air, and it struck Hernandez as he passed nearby.
19. Thomas Midgley Jr.
Inventor Thomas Midgley Jr. developed serious mobility problems after contracting polio, so he created a system of ropes and pulleys to help lift himself from bed. In 1944, he became entangled in the device and died from strangulation.
20. Timothy Treadwell
Timothy Treadwell spent multiple summers living among wild brown bears in Alaska, often approaching them at dangerously close distances. In 2003, a bear killed Treadwell and his companion, Amie Huguenard, shortly before they were scheduled to leave the area.
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