# icicle death **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734 "2004-12-27T03:29:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Logicalkitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Logicalkitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logicalkitten)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/1 "2004-12-27T03:29:10Z")
Could someone be killed if an icicle fell on their head? How big a cicle would it have to be? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/2 "2004-12-27T03:35:19Z")
> [@Logicalkitten](#): > > Could someone be killed if an icicle fell on their head? How big a cicle would it have to be? It isn’t just the size, it’s how far it falls, too. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/3 "2004-12-27T03:38:18Z")
[http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/446/news/briefs.htm](http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/446/news/briefs.htm) Icy Reprimand ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) - Gov. Vladimir Yakovlev gave the city’s local administration chiefs a dressing down Wednesday, calling the icicles dangling from the city’s rooftops an “outrage” and threatening to fire officials who neglected to address the problem. “I cannot believe that you don’t see this outrage,” Yakovlev told administration heads, according to a report by Itar-Tass. “And if you see this and do nothing, that is a crime.” During thaws every year, pedestrians are threatened by ice falling from the city’s rooftops. In one of several icicle deaths in 1998, a 12-year-old girl was killed by a block of ice that fell from her Moskovsky Prospect apartment building. Yakovlev targeted the administrators of the Central, Admiralty, Primorsky, Petrograd, Kalininsky, Vasile ost rovsky and Vyborg city districts to remove the icicles. ## According to Itar-Tass, the governor proposed a prize for the district chief who did the best clean-up job but promised firings if the situation was not remedied. Note in this one city, it is mentioned there were several icicle deaths in 1998. ---
**Author:** ![Logicalkitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Logicalkitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logicalkitten)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/4 "2004-12-27T03:45:28Z")
Interesting. Mythbusters gave me the idea; also the fact that its winter. Aren’t large, dangerous icicles caused by poor drainage? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/5 "2004-12-27T03:48:44Z")
A couple of pounds, falling from 30 feet, is enough to do you in. A quart of water weighs about 2 pounds, so it wouldn’t take a very large icicle. Icicle related deaths seem to be a [real problem in Russia](http://newsfromrussia.com/accidents/2004/01/29/52063.html), but we in the US [are not immune:](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/01mi006.html) > [@](#): > > On January 28, 2001, a 48-year old male died of injuries he sustained approximately two weeks earlier when he was clearing icicles from the church roof at the church where he was pastor. > … > The victim apparently loosened an ice dam at the roof edge during the icicle clearing operations, and the icicle and the associated rooftop ice dam, estimated weight of one-half ton, fell on him. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/6 "2004-12-27T05:07:17Z")
> [@Logicalkitten](#): > > Aren’t large, dangerous icicles caused by poor drainage? More like poor insulation. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/7 "2004-12-27T05:53:00Z")
On Mythbusters, they dropped a big icicle like 15 feet into a big piece of beef, and it went in about two inches or so, I would guess. I don’t think that the icicle they used was a quart’s worth of water, and I don’t think it would penetrate a skull. Maybe it would kill you if you were lying down right under it, without a big parka on, and it landed exactly straight up and didn’t hit a rib. In other words, I’m doubtful. I believe that a big hunk of ice, falling on your head, could do some serious damage, but a single icicle? It seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/8 "2004-12-27T05:53:39Z")
[Flanders] Mmmmm. A popscicle in my favorite flavor – _plain!_ [/Flanders] Falling ice is a particularly bad problem in Chicago, which has tall buildings and thoroughly obnoxious winters. > [@](#): > > While most of the ice falls harmlessly to the pavement, one downtown hospital reported treating six people for falling ice-related injuries Thursday. And in the Windy City - where ice can fall, say, 40 to 60 floors and get blown sideways the length of a city block before crashing to the ground - such accidents can have tragic consequences. A Wisconsin family settled a $4.5 million lawsuit last year after a microwave-size piece of ice fell from the Neiman Marcus building, crushing the skull and vertebrae of Donald Booth, 48. He was killed instantly. Chicago lawyer David Wise, who represented Booth’s family, said his office is almost always handling a case involving falling ice. From [here](http://www.richard-seaman.com/USA/Seasons/Winter/ArticleAboutDeathsFromSkyscraperIcicles.html). ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/9 "2004-12-27T07:54:23Z")
Wow, you guys must have not seen a really good sized icicle. In addition to some of the reports, I’ll also vouch that some of the icicles in Jan/Feb in colorado can be five feet in length, four-five inches in circumference at the base, slowly coming to a nice strong point, and 50 feet above you. Only a fool would chance walking under that son-of-a-bitch and think to live through it. Look at [this picture](http://www.seans.com/Photos/Kirby99/Kirb9914.jpg) and imagine it falling from 30-40 feet straight onto your head. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/10 "2004-12-27T15:19:14Z")
> [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > More like poor insulation. That’s usually the case, although solar gain on the southern exposure of a house can also generate them from melt water. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/11 "2004-12-27T16:10:12Z")
Icicles can really hurt and even if they don’t peirce the skull, they can knock you out. I have had them on houses that I rented that had bad insulation. Sometimes a house has good ventilation, and normally good drainage, but freezing rain can clog the gutters and allow them to fill and thaws and refreeze can then make icicles. About four winters or so ago Chicagoland had that problem. A lot of homes had sheets of ice on their roof and large icicles dangling from eaves. Many roofs collapsed. I always take care to know them off if they start to get bad. Snowballs are best for getting the first and then I use fallen ice for the rest. If you have to use a broom or pole, it is hard to contact them had enough to knock them off and not have them slide down the broom toward you. You have to be careful not to damage windows or siding too. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/12 "2004-12-27T16:22:26Z")
[This report](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/01mi006.html) illustrates some of the dangers of falling ice and its clearance. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/13 "2004-12-27T17:56:08Z")
Ok, so I must admit that I was wrong: a single icicle can do some serious damage. But I still don’t think that it would be able to pierce a skull. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/14 "2004-12-27T18:09:27Z")
> [@Mirror Image egamI rorriM](#): > > Ok, so I must admit that I was wrong: a single icicle can do some serious damage. > > But I still don’t think that it would be able to pierce a skull. Probably not. In some places, I’ve seen them several feet long and almost as big around as a man’s thigh. I’m not worried about having my skull pierced. I’m worried about a 10 pound weight hitting my head from 20 feet. FWIW, I knew a kid growing up that was knocked out by a large icicle at our Junior High, and years later, he also fell through the ice that formed on the river in my home town. A guy with that kind of luck should move to Florida. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/15 "2004-12-27T18:30:11Z")
I discussed this topic once with someone, who said that not only are icicles deadly in the usual way, but that a 70’s TV murder-mystery show had an episode in which the killer used a big icicle as a murder weapon. The forensic evidence more or less melted away, I guess. I dunno whether the victim was stabbed or bludgeoned, or where. > [@](#): > > A guy with that kind of luck should move to Florida. …Where he can be struck by lightning (South Florida is the hottest lightning rod on the planet), bludgeoned by a hurricane, tornado or waterspout, or gnawed by a shark? :dubious: Bad luck is bad luck, wherever you are. BTW, I grew up in Miami, where an indoor light fixture once fell on my head. So I speak from some experience… ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/16 "2004-12-27T19:18:01Z")
A 14 year old boy was killed by a falling icicle in central Stockholm almost three years ago. [Cites](http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/telegram/0,1082,63496582_852__,00.html) in [Swedish](http://www.svt.se/nyheter/2002/020108/is.htm) (check the pic on the middle of the page in the second link). ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icicle-death/281734/17 "2004-12-27T19:23:46Z")
icicles are not your only ‘falling frozen water’ dangers… While driving on a freeway in Michigan… I was following behind a Semi when a chunk of ice flew up from off the roof of the trailer… I didn’t think much of it as it approached my car until i realized that it was HUGE :eek: Too late to swerve or slam on the brakes… it slammed into my windshield, sending a hail of glass onto me and my bowl of Wendy’s ™ Chili that I happened to have sitting on my lap :mad: It also destroyed 3/4 of my windshield. Luckily it didn’t cave in and/or shatter. Also, I was probably lucky the sheet of ice didn’t hit edge first or perhaps i’da been decapitated :eek: So, learn from me… if you see a sheet of ice fly off a semi trailer… get the hell out of the way! (btw, i was unable to catch up w/ the semi afterwards, and had to replace the windshield out-of-pocket later that day)