Odds of Dying from External Causes

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the statistical odds of dying from various external causes, including accidents and intentional self-harm. Participants explore the implications of these statistics, share personal anecdotes, and engage in light-hearted banter about the nature of these risks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that the odds presented are statistical averages and do not reflect individual circumstances, which can vary widely based on personal activities and environments.
  • A participant questions whether the cumulative odds of dying from various causes would equal 1:1, leading to a discussion about the nature of these statistics.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that multiple causes of death could overlap, complicating the odds further.
  • Several participants share personal stories related to the causes of death mentioned, such as choking and bee stings, which adds a personal dimension to the statistics.
  • There is a discussion about the odds of dying from specific causes, such as bee stings and base jumping, with some participants expressing skepticism about the accuracy of these statistics.
  • One participant expresses surprise at the high rate of suicide, indicating a personal reflection on the implications of such statistics.
  • Another participant shares obscure statistics about unusual causes of death, contributing to the light-hearted tone of the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally engage in a mix of humor and personal anecdotes, with no clear consensus on the implications of the statistics or the accuracy of specific claims. Multiple competing views and interpretations remain throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the interpretation of the odds and the nature of the statistics, indicating that they may not encompass all causes of death. There are also references to personal experiences that may not align with the statistical averages presented.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in statistical analysis of mortality, personal anecdotes related to risk, or those looking for a light-hearted discussion on serious topics may find this thread engaging.

Ivan Seeking
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...The odds given below are statistical averages over the whole U.S. population and do not necessarily reflect the chances of death for a particular person from a particular external cause. Any individual's odds of dying from various external causes are affected by the activities in which they participate, where they live and drive, what kind of work they do, and other factors...
[selected examples show the lifetime odds of each as the cause of death]

Animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle: 1:31,836
Falls of all kinds: 1:246
Fall...from slipping, tripping, and stumbling: 1:6,548
Contact with hot tap-water: 1:64,788
Contact with hornets, wasps and bees: 1:85,882
Narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens]: 1:567
Other and unspecified drugs, medicaments, and biologicals: 1:666
Alcohol: 1:12,188
Intentional self-harm [of all kinds]: 1:121
Falling, jumping, or pushed from a high place: 1:47,960
Legal intervention involving firearm discharge: 1:11,433
Legal execution: 1:58,618

Many more:
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

So the good news is that you are more likely to be legally shot and killed than you are to fall, jump, or to be pushed from a high place, or to die from alcohol related causes. :biggrin:
 
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Ooh, what a cheerful topic. You really have been spending a lot of time thinking about your relatives! :biggrin:
 
I wonder, if you add all those up does it come out to 1:1 odds of dying?
 
Probably not. There are those who are uniquely talented and can have more than one of those happen at the same time so that you can't rule any out for cause of death. You know, like the drunken guy who gets stung by a swarm of hornets and falls off the ladder into a kettle of boiling water. :biggrin:
 
that's how I lost my dad.
 
tribdog said:
that's how I lost my dad.

:frown: *slowly shaking head* Tragic when that happens. I was betting it was just the sort of way you'd be likely to meet your demise; must run in the family. Sad, truly.

:frown: :bugeye: :frown: :bugeye: :rolleyes: :redface: :bugeye: :biggrin: :-p
 
Choking to death on piece of frozen brocolli: 1:365,711
 
that's how I lost mom. You heartless, heartless people
 
Math Is Hard said:
Choking to death on piece of frozen brocolli: 1:365,711

Choking to death on a piece of frozen brocolli on Halloween after visiting Ivan's house: 1: 2974

:smile:
 
  • #10
and how many people have joined PF? do we have a future bee sting fatality hanging out?
 
  • #11
tribdog said:
and how many people have joined PF? do we have a future bee sting fatality hanging out?

Probably me. You're not supposed to be allergic to bee stings on the first sting, but I got stung near my ankle about two years ago (how I managed to never get stung before that, I have no idea) and my whole foot swelled up rather painfully. I don't think that bodes well for me since my dad was one of those so allergic we had to rush him straight to the nearest emergency room as soon as he got stung.
 
  • #12
I am so scared of Killer Bees.
A couple of years ago I rolled over in bed onto a bee and it felt like someone was putting out a cigar on my back. again
 
  • #13
Didn't your mom warn you about sleeping around with those bees? They're nothing but trouble.
 
  • #14
Moonbear said:
Ooh, what a cheerful topic. You really have been spending a lot of time thinking about your relatives! :biggrin:

No, that would suggest a thread dedicated entirely to jumping off of a cliff. :biggrin:
 
  • #15
Choking to death on a piece of frozen brocolli

Don't you realize that it's one of natures most hazardous foods? It even tries to warn you with its repulsive green color!
 
  • #16
Intentional Self Harm with a Firearm, 1:219

I do not understand how the odds can be 1:219. Do that many people shoot themselves intentionally and live?
 
  • #17
No, these numbers are correlated to causes of death.

It means that each American [raw statistics here] has a 1:219 chance of committing suicide by using a gun.
 
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  • #18
Ok, that makes more sense lol

Hmm looking at your first post again, I guess I just need to learn how to read and I will be fine.

Ivan Seeking said:
The odds given below are statistical averages over the whole U.S. population and do not necessarily reflect the chances of death for a particular person from a particular external cause.
 
  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
Other and unspecified drugs, medicaments, and biologicals: 1:666

and they called me crazy when i said drugs were of the devil.

some of those were much lower than what i expected. much lower.
 
  • #20
There was one guy at Frito Lay, in Texas, that died by drowning in a tower filled with cooking oil. I knew of another guy that was almost crisped to death! He slipped and his right leg went into a large vat of cooking oil; while deep frying tater chips. His leg was said to be crispy and golden brown. Still, he nearly fell in completely. What a way to go.

I do a lot of work with heavy industry. Some of the stories I hear... :eek: Luckily the odds of such events depend a lot on one's job. IMO, high voltage electricians are nuts...in fact, all industrial electricians are nuts!

My dad knew of a guy [during the Korean War] who was sucked out of a plane while he was sleeping. I remember trying to imagine what it would be like to wake up while falling in the dark at 30,000 ft. :rolleyes:


And no Moonbear, I ran across this while trying to find the odds of death by meteor strike - another thread. This is not a family thing. :biggrin:
 
  • #21
Since so many people can be killed by a big meteor strike aren't the odds pretty high?
 
  • #22
Yes, IIRC, it is estimated as about the same as the lifetime chance of dying in plane crash.
 
  • #23
I could give better odds.
 
  • #24
Ivan Seeking said:
[selected examples show the lifetime odds of each as the cause of death]

Animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle: 1:31,836
Falls of all kinds: 1:246
Fall...from slipping, tripping, and stumbling: 1:6,548
Contact with hot tap-water: 1:64,788
Contact with hornets, wasps and bees: 1:85,882
Narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens]: 1:567
Other and unspecified drugs, medicaments, and biologicals: 1:666
Alcohol: 1:12,188
Intentional self-harm [of all kinds]: 1:121
Falling, jumping, or pushed from a high place: 1:47,960
Legal intervention involving firearm discharge: 1:11,433
Legal execution: 1:58,618

Many more:
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

So the good news is that you are more likely to be legally shot and killed than you are to fall, jump, or to be pushed from a high place, or to die from alcohol related causes. :biggrin:
If these things are hardly killing anyone in particular then what in tarnation is getting everybody? :biggrin:
 
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  • #25
I'm amazed that almost 1% of the population dies by suicide. Wow.

- Warren
 
  • #26
tribdog said:
I wonder, if you add all those up does it come out to 1:1 odds of dying?

No. Because they only list deaths due to external causes (accident/injury) and not other causes of death.
 
  • #27
According to Understanding on The Science Channel [SCI], base jumping may have a fatality rate as high as 1 death per 2000 jumps. While defending the logic of this sport, a base jumper objects to this statistic on the basis that more people die from bee stings each year than base jumping. :smile:

Okay... Why am I thinking of Darwin?
 
  • #28
In spirit of this cheerful post, here are more
selected ways of dying from
http://www.travelfinders.com/html/insurance.html


Odds of dying while in the bath tub- 1 in a million


Odds of being killed by space debris- 1 in 5 billion


Odds of being killed by freezing- 1 in 3 million


Odds of being killed by falling out of bed- 1 in 2 million
 
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  • #29
I like the more obscure ones

Odds of being killed by paper cut- 1:19000000
by a rabid marsupial- 1:22000000
spontaneous combustion- 1:9992934432
by ow...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Edit: we are sorry to say that we must revise this statistic
odds of dying by spontaneous combustion- 2:9992934432
RIP tribdog
 
  • #30
Odds of dying while chasing car tire on moving vehicle:
Lifetime average - 1:1,000,000,000
Tribdog - 1:2
 

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