Train once sang that there are a thousand ways to die. But we think that might be a gross underestimate. Besides the obvious causes of death like accidents, illnesses, diseases, crime and old age, there are a load of lesser-known life risks lurking around us on earth. Sometimes, people encounter them without even realizing it. They make it out alive, and only afterwards, get to truly grasp the grave danger they were in. A few of these folks even take photos of what could have been their last moments.
Bored Panda has put together a list of truly terrifying times people had an unknowing brush with death. From naive tourists taking selfies in a Chernobyl claw surrounded by deadly levels of radiation, to people casually holding creepy crawlies that could send them 6 feet under in a matter of minutes… Some of these photographs might have you treading a lot more carefully the next time you walk out the door.
#1 The Guy That Mows My Lawn Sends Me Snake Pics When He Finds Them So I Can ID For Him. He Sends Me This Today
It is a cottonmouth.
I told him he’s insane and to not pick snakes up if he can’t ID them. Also he’s extremely lucky lol. Lord have mercy the man thought it was a ball python!!!
Image credits: TechiesMidOrFeed
#2 Tourists In Chernobyl, Sitting In An Excavator Claw Used After The Disaster. (It Has Deadly Levels Of Radiation)
Image credits: TheEvilFlea
#3 We Found A Giant Round Today. Weighs 125 Lbs And Has The Markings 62-Tbt95 And U.s.s.a.f. Any Ideas What We’re Dealing With?
I don't think carrying around unexploded ordnance is considered a very great choice.
Image credits: Ok-Photograph6856
The earth is filled with beautiful creatures, big and small, and it can be tempting to pick something up to take a closer look. But for the sake of your life, it's always best to err on the side of caution. Ask a guy known as 'Frank.' He was snorkeling in Egypt's Red Sea when he came across a colorful shell that he considered taking home as a souvenir.
"I thought I just found a very pretty seashell and was thinking about taking it home as a souvenir, but I noticed it's still alive, feeling some weight and movement inside, so I decided to at least take some pictures of it," he wrote on Reddit.
Little did Frank know that his "souvenir" contained a toxin that can paralyze or even end a human life within a few short hours. The cone snail can take down its (smaller) prey in a matter of seconds.
#4 Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now? (Traffic Lights Mixed With Red & Green Christmas Lights)
Image credits: WholeLog24
#5 Casually Letting Your Kid Pick Up One Of The World’s Deadliest Creatures
Image credits: The_Mighty_Bird
#6 Heres Me In The Neighborhood Pothole
Going into a sinkhole...
Image credits: R1CHQK
It was only long after his trip that the man learned just how lucky he was to be alive. "I actually had no idea about that thing being potentially deadly until months later when I randomly stumbled upon a picture of a very similar cone snail online, the texture was very distinctive, and I remembered that's what I held," he told DailyMail.com.
Frank then googled cone snails and the penny dropped. He shared a post online titled "How lucky I am to be still alive?" and included the photo of him holding the creature in his bare hands. Mortified netizens were quick to comment, with some warning him never to pick up anything in the sea again.
#7 How Lucky I Am To Be Still Alive? Red Sea, Egypt
This is a textile cone snail, Conus textile. All cone snails are venomous and this species is one of those known to be dangerous to humans. Deaths are rare, about 30 are known to have occurred among all cone snail species, but likely underreported. So yeah, it was a bad idea to just pick it up, especially underwater where it was very likely alive.
Image credits: AArdvarkPaws
#8 Just Why?!?
putting a very sharp crystal right where their airbag would pop out during a crash.
Image credits: Ok_Consideration_242
#9 Wild Carrots? Found On The Beach Of Southern Zealand, Denmark
it's actually water hemlock, which is incredibly poisonous.
Image credits: c_biv_2201
The cone snail isn't the only deadly creature lurking in the ocean. You might remember daredevil conservationist Steve Irwin. The Australian made a living recording his dangerous encounters with animals in the wild. He was known for his fearless escapades with crocodiles, snakes and other scary creatures that many of us wouldn't approach with a ten-foot pole.
But in the end, it was a stingray that ended Irwin's life. The stingray's barb pierced his chest more than once, before swimming away and leaving him for dead. The "Crocodile Hunter," as he was fondly known, had been filming a documentary at the time of the shocking tragedy.
#10 Why Is This Hose Nailed To The Wall?
That is a nail through a live gas line, that is super bad.
Image credits: Riivek
#11 24 Hours Underground , We Drank Mine Water
Well, silver lining, you might get a disease named after you!
Image credits: Underground_1973
#12 Came Home To My Mom Boiling Bleach To Clean A Pan Of Some Burnt In Sugar, Creating A Highly Toxic Gas
Image credits: willgrowlikeamen
Stingrays and cone snails are among dozens of venomous sea creatures. The act of injecting venom or toxins into a human or animal via a bite, puncture or sting is called envenomation. health-resource/dive-medical-reference-books/hazardous-marine-life/envenomations/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">According to the Divers Alert Network (DAN), envenomation is "always due to direct contact with an animal (or parts of it like drifting jellyfish tentacles)." While envenomations are rare, they can be life-threatening.
"There are two possible mechanisms of injection: active, such as jellyfish or cone snails, or passive like lionfish or sea urchins," notes the DAN site. "Injuries typically occur during shore entries or exits, incidental contact or deliberate attempts to handle a specimen."
#13 Found In The Florida Everglades
That is a puss caterpillar. It is a NOPE; DO NOT TOUCH bug. It’s bristles are venomous; it’s actually one of the most venomous insects in North America.
Image credits: mwhitmont
#14 Petting The Animals
Image credits: ds3101
#15 Was Cleaning Webs Off My Porch…
And this lady just dropped herself down from my light fixture right next to my flip flopped foot. This is the BIGGEST black widow I’ve ever seen in person.
Image credits: HauntedSpiralHill
The words 'venom' and 'poison' are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Both mean a toxic chemical produced naturally by an animal. But the way they are delivered is not the same.
Venom is introduced via a wound. Think of stingrays, cone snails or snakes, or any animal that uses its teeth, sting, spines or claws to inject its prey or protect itself. "Poison is different as there is no wound involved. It can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin, inhaled or ingested," explains Dr Ronald Jenner, a venom evolution expert at the Natural History Museum.
Jenner has a simple way of telling the difference between the two: "If you bite it and you die it's poison, but if it bites you and you die, that's venom."
#16 Unsupported/Shifted Load
Image credits: aicrooster
#17 Round Metal Ball Found Whilst Digging Has A Hole In One Side, Very Heavy Easily 3kg
If there’s a hole in a cannonball it’s for a fuse to light the explosives inside. You should put that down immediately and potentially contact law enforcement about ordnance disposal
Image credits: RaedwaldRex
#18 My Parents’ Breaker Box
“It’s been fine since I shoved all that stuff in it.” -Parental Unit that’s responsible Redneck ingenuity at its finest. It’s been like this for at least 15 years. sigh Yes, it’s finally failing and being replaced. Yes, sparks fly at random times. Yes, I’m disappointed.
Image credits: Proper-Designer491
Fortunately, not all venoms and poisons are fatal to humans. Sometimes the substances are just used as a deterrent. Think hellishly painful but you'll live to tell the tale.
According to the Natural History Museum, the bullet ant has one of the most painful stings of all insects. "The pain can last up to 24 hours, but a human victim is likely to walk away otherwise unharmed," reads the site.
Bees and wasps are another example. While they both sting and inject venom, the insects aren't deadly to humans. Unless you're highly allergic and go into anaphylactic shock.
#19 I Almost Fell Into A Sinkhole Under My Porch. I Caught Myself On The Edge Of The Hole, From My Chest Down Was Just Dangling Beneath Me. Below The Opening The Hole Is About 10’ Wide And 15’ Deep
The hole extends to about the middle of my grill. These are not great pictures but it’s dark. I think that’s the foundation.
Image credits: Punk_Chachi
#20 What Is This? Dog Brought In From Outside
it's rat bait. Get your dog to a vet immediately, take the bait with you. I hope your pup will be okay and didn't ingest too much. Some people are absolute bastards and poison dogs on purpose, so I'm hoping that's not the case.
Image credits: alicekat
#21 Daughter Found These In A Graveyard
Destroying angels are among the most toxic known mushrooms; both they and the closely related death caps (A. phalloides) contain amatoxins.
Image credits: KapowBlamBoom
Back in the ocean, the box jellyfish produces one of the most potent venoms known to mankind. Some of them take less than three minutes to stop an adult's heart. You'll likely be long gone before any medical rescue personnel can respond.
Miraculously, an Irish travel content creator narrowly escaped death after she was stung by a box jellyfish during a boat trip in the Philippines. The woman, known as Julie, was saved by an Australian nurse and doctor who happened to be on the boat at the time. However, almost a year after the incident, she says she has permanent nerve damage and ongoing gut issues because of the sting.
#22 Dude Accidentally Bought Something A Lot More Radioactive Than Expected
Image credits: iltby
#23 The Baldest Tire I Have Ever Seen Just Rolled In. Its On Display In The Showroom Now
Image credits: Renegade00101
#24 What Happens To Potatoes After A Year In The Cellar
Rotting vegetation in an unventilated space - it uses up all the oxygen in the air. If you see someone passed out in a confined space, never follow them in, call the fire department.
Image credits: Daniel_XXL_69
#25 Cutting Holes Through Joist For Hvac?
We are putting a new floor and contractor cut holes through joist?(not sure if I am using the right word) to connect hvac? Does this seem correct from structural integrity perspective?
Image credits: Dry_Rip8393
#26 My Dad Found All These Red Mushrooms, As Far As I’m Aware This Bunch Is Poisonous. He Said That If You Boil Them Twice And Dry Them Off They’re Hallucinogenic?
Image credits: ShadowGangsta275
#27 Bought Like 5000$ Worth Of Crystals And Rocks Of An Old Guy. He Told Me To Never Keep This Outside Of This Container. The Rock In Question Is Extremely Heavy For Its Size. What Could This Be
That's probably Uranium, you yutz! When the old rock guru dude tells you to keep it in the box, keep it in da box? It's just alpha particles, but you don't want a whole lot of bombardment over time...
Image credits: Awstoniscool
#28 My Parents Came Back Home To This. Almost Burned Their House Down With This Concave Mirror
Image credits: willi_the_racer
#29 What's This Dapper Little Guy My Friend Found In Coastal(Ish) North Carolina?
Cuddling with a Red Velvet Ant.
Image credits: deadmmemes
#30 Anybody Know What Kinda Octopus Is This? Found Here In Kiana, Australia
This guy holding a blue-ringed octopus. Blue-ringed octopuses, comprising the genus Hapalochlaena, are four extremely venomous species of octopus that are found in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian oceans, from Japan to Australia.
Image credits: ferchomax
#31 Yesterday In Indi
Image credits: makemyowngoodnews
#32 Poor Man’s Car Lift To Find The Power Steering Leak
Image credits: capdee
#33 Safe To Say I Switched Lanes Immediately After This Photo
Image credits: ToastySpd
#34 Taxi Ride To Airport
Does this count? I felt I was on the wrong side of a claymore mine the whole ride though the van may have been old enough not to have a passenger side airbag... Still...
Image credits: NDVermin
#35 Dialysis Venous Chamber Missing A Filter That Prevents Blood Clots From Entering Patient’s Blood Stream Causing Stroke Or Heart Attack
Image credits: aidgon09
#36 $400 For A Night Airbnb Refuses To Turn Heat Above 58 Degrees
Yes, this is actually dangerous! I'm surprised more people aren't pointing this out. You're 100% supposed to vent your range! Gas combustion byproducts (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc.) can be deadly or harmful to health. This is NOT healthy. If it's generating carbon monoxide, that's potentially deadly! At a minimum, with perfect combustion, you're flooding the house with carbon dioxide. At modest levels, CO2 creates a "stuffy room" feeling, worsens concentration, performance, and sleep. Really high concentrations of CO2 can even be hazardous to health or deadly. If you're properly venting your range, you're sending most all gas combustion byproducts out, but you're bringing in cold makeup air. Hence, a gas range/oven does NOT work for heating. Someone may say they cook all the time without venting. That's not good, but what's over an order of magnitude worse is running all the burners overnight. I didn't used to vent properly while cooking, but after seeing air quality sensor readings from my own home, even when just boiling water, I've been a convert.
Image credits: Golden5StarMan
#37 Snow Pinwheels! Natures Warning Sign Of Rising Avalanche Risk
Image credits: BC_Wanderer
#38 The World's Most Dangerous Plant
Image credits: folowthewhiterarebit
#39 That Looks Terrifying
Image credits: stephaniemain2
#40 Aio BF Went To Sleep With Fan Heater On Full Power, On It's Back On The Bed With A Paper Bag On Top
It was actually a brown amazon delivery bag, newspaper is just to show how it was left. He'd just passed out right next to it. Am I overreacting or could this have burnt our entire house down and k****d us both if i hadn't gone to check on him? This is not the first time something like this has happened.
Image credits: whereisel
#41 Found This Little Guy In A Fender Well Today
The car technician who found this cute lil' guy in a wheel well, only to find out that it's an American dagger moth (which can cause some painful skin rashes when handled).
Image credits: Waas507
#42 Seems A Little Dangerous
Image credits: SNewby
#43 Anyone Who Works With Earth Knows The Dangers Associated With Improper Shoring And Excavation Types. Make Sure Your Loved Ones Are Safe From This Trend
Image credits: QuincyThePigBoy
#44 Need Help Removing Stains From My Fireplace
I don't know about cleaning the soot on the front but you might need to get your flue checked out or your chimney cleaned. Doesn't seem like you have adequate flow through your chimney.
Image credits: ferzbeefan
#45 Is This Raccoon Rabid? I Had To Move It And I Got Bit
Image credits: thegreatpoopdini
#46 Gifted A Candle Containing Minerals Which Produce Toxic Gas When Heated
Image credits: prjctdiva
#47 My Husband Was Working In The Crawlspace Of Our 1901 Home And Almost Crawled Into This Uncovered Well
Image credits: definitelynotagurl
#48 World's Luckiest Man And World's Chillest Coral
Image credits: theglockatrice
#49 Yhese Weird Blue Creatures Washed Up On The Beach Let's Mess With Them For Likes
Image credits: JewelerPowerful2993
#50 Found This Old Looking Bottle Of Picric Acid At The Back Of The Chemicals Rack
Extremely old bottle of picric acid, when dried up tends to explode.
Image credits: Oopsilon03
#51 My Roommate Left A Teflon Pan With Only Olive Oil On The Burner For An Hour And It Turned Blue
Roommate just created fluorine gas inside a house.
Image credits: RandomAxolotl
#52 I Work At A Greenhouse, This Is Growing In The Courtyard. Employees Debated On Whether To Keep The Pretty Flowers Or Chop It Down...it Took Me 3 Seconds To Go, That's Deadly (Hemlock)
Image credits: reddit.com
#53 I Was Chosen By A Baby Bat This Morning
Yea. First thought: "that's no baby"... followed shortly by "oh, it probably has rabies or at least something if its acting this way"
Image credits: KaerMorhen
#54 I Have Reached The Point Where I Can't Even
Image credits: imgur.com
#55 This Person, Who Didn't Thought About Hazardous Gases, Or Lead, Or Mercury, Not To Mention The Risk Of Being Horribly Burned, Before Cooking A Pizza On Volcano
Image credits: AvatarDomy
#56 Daughter Just Ate This... What Is It?
Person who had to rush her daughter to the hospital after the kid ate the berries from this bittersweet nightshade plant that was growing through the fence from the neighbor's yard. Thankfully, the kid turned out fine.
Image credits: WrongDrawing
#57 Apparently "No Smoking" Is Too Hard To Read
Image credits: MNLanguell
#58 We Found A Cute Hat For My Dog In The Woods
Hope you gave your pup a good scrub. Brugmansia are toxic.
Image credits: chaiwithcoconutmilk
#59 Magnesium Shavings On Fire From Welding Sparks…
Fire, fire! Mag puts out an insane amount of heat. Not much you can do but let it burn out.
Image credits: Away-Quantity928
#60 Just Sitting In The Woods, 30 Feet Off The Edge Of The Bike Trail
Image credits: Fjc562
#61 A Quick Shower Before Going Home From Work
Image credits: lal00
#62 My School Blocked All Of The Emergency Exits Instead Of Fixing The Alarm
Image credits: vk6_
#63 Oopsies Daisies
Image credits: canolli
#64 My Sister Called And Asked Why Her Dryer Kept Stopping
Image credits: Agreeable-Camera5420
#65 This Tea Is Made With A Toxic Plant That Can K**l You And It’s Being Sold On Tik Tok
Image credits: heartsholly
#66 Wildest Thing I've Ever Seen
Addition was added onto this house around 2006, contractor built a roof over top of the chimney for the oil furnace. I'm shocked it took until now to find. Attic is LOADED with soot as expected. We replaced entire chimney and terminated through roof as it should be.
Image credits: JatKal
#67 2x6 Load Bearing Studs Drilled For 4" Pipe
Long story short miscommunication and misinformation led to walls being drilled for 3" pipe. Simpson does not make a 3" stud shoe. Any ideas how to repair studs without removing plumbing?
Image credits: Youdunno_me
#68 Finally Found Where My Lint Trap Is
Lived in my apartment for 3 years and ignorantly thought I didn't have a lint trap in my dryer. Found out it's under the handle on the top of it, but since it was hard to pull up, I figured it was something else and I didn't want to break it and get management mad at me. Finally figured out that if I pull it towards me, it'll come out. Got lucky today. So glad I got some radioactively bright red towels that clogged the inside of my dryer and proved to me that I do indeed have a lint trap I need to manually clean.
Image credits: sunburntlily
#69 Window Cracks At 38,000 Ft
Image credits: Left-Cap-6046
#70 12 Feet Deep No Box Or Shoring Is A Daily Thing In This New Company
I've had 5 walls collapse that had three steps they love building in a wash
Image credits: dirtbikemike78
#71 A “Bugfluencer” Putting A Brown Recluse On Her Wrist
Image credits: haleighbird
#72 To Prevent Tourists From Entering A Dangerous Area
Image credits: The_Great_Cucumber
#73 Handrail With Gaps And Sharp Edges
Image credits: acidiola
#74 B**b I Found, Dug This One Up In West Flanders Belgium
Image credits: -HOSPIK-
#75 My Mom Sent Me This Pic Of My Step-Dad Today
Image credits: Chloroformperfume7
#76 To Watch The Eclipse
Saw this on someone’s Snapchat story after the eclipse.
Image credits: peskyjedi
#77 Parents With Toddler Move In, Deliberately Plant Datura
Image credits: MyFaceSaysItsSugar
#78 I Don’t Think That’s A Pet, You Shouldn’t Invite It Into Your Car
Image credits: Jason Cunningham
#79 This Tiny Cute Bat I Found Last Night
Just so everybody knows: you don’t need to be bitten by bats to get rabies or any other virus they have, being scratched is enough. Note that most of the time you don’t feel or see the scratch. Also, when symptoms start to declare, it is too late and you are 100% dying. Getting a preventive shot might be for nothing but it takes 1 hour of your life max instead of… just putting an end to it.
Image credits: microwavedgerbil25
#80 My Sister Accidentally Left Some Salt Water In Her Ceramic Mug Overnight And Salt Crystals Seeped Through
here seems to be some misinformation about what's happening with the pottery here. When fired above 2300°F (∆8-∆10), the clay is no longer porous, and can safely be used for dishware. This was not fired at those temps, we can see that it's porous, and can hold onto moisture and bacteria. Some glazes contain toxic elements but that wouldn't be as easy to just visually identify.
Image credits: dragoneerdude
#81 Im A Maintenance Guy And Found This In One Of Our Storage Units. Are Those Copper Bars Lethal? Feel Like This Should Be Covered. Wasn't Going To Go Near It To Find Out
Image credits: AlexWJones
#82 Wolf In La Jolla
This man and woman were walking their pet wolf down Girard street on 2/15/24, the man uses a rope as a leash. This is the second time I’ve seen this wolf in La Jolla which is surprising because it’s illegal to keep wolves as pets in California. I’m aware that it’s legal to own wolfdogs who are under 25% pure wolf in CA, however I’ve heard from someone who spoke to the owner briefly that this wolf is 100% wolf. The third picture was taken by a friend who spotted the wolf in La Jolla around a year or two ago. How are they allowed to do this? It’s completely dangerous to have a wolf walking around town, especially amongst children and other dogs. Even if she is behaved the majority of time, it just feels like an accident waiting to happen.
Image credits: Sufficient_Evening_7
#83 There Was A Snake Hid In My Boots
Watch out for those ones, they are called Saw Scaled Vipers and are pretty dangerous. Tho, you should be able to just grab ur boot and drop the snake somewhere else, and u can both be on your way.
Image credits: NooBGam3R007
#84 Gas Fireplace At My Parents House Does This To The Siding
Something is out of whack, gas shouldn’t produce soot. Don’t use it until it’s inspected.
Image credits: glockster19m
#85 Who’s Ready For Some Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
Image credits: hung-like-a-horsefly
#86 My Grandmothers Cooking Spoon From The 50’s
Made beans and other home-cooked meals for over 60 years with a distinct hole in it. You can pretty much be 100% sure that has lead based enamel coating it.
Image credits: puffnstuff272
#87 Is This The Problem I Think It Is?
Am I crazy to think there shouldn’t be stored this closely at a Home Depot?
Image credits: fallingbrick
#88 The Chromebooks My School Has Us Use, Almost Every One Is Like This
Might be hard to tell but the battery is stolen, one of them had the bottom plastic beginning to crack.
Image credits: Khalidbenz786
#89 Staying In A Airbnb And See This, Water And Electricity,
Image credits: Crazykid20
#90 Was Cleaning My Mils Basement When I Came Across This
Image credits: mareastra
#91 Vodka Bottles Full Of Petrol On A Street Corner In Bali, Like You Do
Pretty sure Michael Bay just audibly moaned somewhere.
Image credits: JMDeutsch
#92 That’s Deadly
From the bulb to the stem to the petals, daffodils contain a toxic chemical called lycorine. The daffodil bulb contains the highest amounts of lycorine. Lycorine is highly poisonous, and can be fatal if ingested in a large enough amount.
Image credits: DJBigPhil
#93 This Lad Is Going To Introduce A New Prion Disease To Humanity
Image credits: Gnosys00110
#94 A Shelf Full Of Enough Lead Paint To K**l 4 People
Image credits: Furryareospaceengr
