Unusual Deaths

          Anthony Fernando, a twenty-one-year-old man living in Colombo, Sri Lanka, went fishing one day off the coast of the island. He had no idea he would never make it back alive. If you would venture to guess how this man lost his life, what would you say? That he died from a heart attack? Perhaps he fell out of the boat and drowned? Or how about a shark attack?

          It was none of these things. A forktail gar fish jumped out of the water and cut him on the neck with its tail. He bled to death before a fellow fisherman could get him to a hospital. If you had told him before he left to go fishing this would happen, he wouldn't have believed it.

          Lance Foster, a twenty-three-year-old student at the University of Kansas was studying at his desk one night. Little did he know he would be dead a few minutes later.

          How did he die? Was he shot by a roommate? Or did lightning come through his window and strike him? It was neither. He was killed by a soda machine.

          Foster became thirsty and decided to walk down the hallway to get something to drink. He put his money in the machine, but the drink didn't come out. When he rocked the vending machine back and forth to get the can of soda, it fell on top of him. He died from internal injuries shortly thereafter. If you had told him he would die when he went to get a drink, he wouldn't have believed it.

          If you would have told Ali-Asghar Ahani he would be shot to death by a snake, he wouldn't have believed it. But it happened. Although he could have shot the snake, this man from Iran was trying to capture it alive. When he pressed the butt of his shotgun behind its head, the snake coiled itself around the gun. With its tail thrashing, the snake pulled the trigger, firing one of the barrels and shooting Ahani in the head. Ahani had also died an unexpected and unusual death.

          After winning $3.6 million in the lottery, William Curry must have thought he was the luckiest person in the world. But he wasn't lucky for very long.  Two weeks after hitting the jackpot Curry, at the age of thirty-seven, died of a heart attack. His sister-in-law said the stress of winning the lottery killed him.

          None of these people knew or even imagined that death was just moments away. Death can come unexpectantly to anyone.

          Have you ever thought about how you will die? Will you be cut by a fish tail? Crushed by a soda machine? Shot by a snake? Maybe your heart will just stop beating. You probably won't be able to predict how or when your death will occur.  Nevertheless, you have an appointment with death and you need to be prepared. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 212-213)