I have heard that 50 people die each year from tilting vending machines and the machines fall on them. Does anyone have a reputable cite for this?
Such deaths do happen, but your 50 per year figure may be a bit high. Maybe not, though. Here’s a cite to a 1995 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission release that states that it is “aware of at least 37 deaths and 113 injuries since 1987” resulting from such machines tipping over.
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/PRHTML96/96011.html
That’d only work out to about 4 or 5 deaths per year, but (a) presumably, these are U.S. deaths only; and (b) the CPSC would not necessarily be aware of all such incidents. So, worldwide, I can’t rule out the 50 deaths per year figure.
“Nice round numbers” is one clue that moves up the needle on my BS meter. They’re unusual in real life. :dubious:
Studies indicate that as many as one in ten mumbers may end with a zero.
And further studies indicate that at least one in ten of those numbers that end with a zero, a 5 preceeds said zero. :rolleyes:
Noone else have an answer for this one ? I am surprised.
I was just approximating 50 as I cannot remember the study properly. If I did I would have said 49.37.
Well, only one person I ever met has died from having a soda machine fall on him. I might not have been told about it in some cases. I am 60.
Tris
On thinking about it, one soda machine I know of died of multiple gun shot wounds. Not sure how that correlates.
Tris
What about the one where some large amount of people die each year from falling coconuts?
deathdata.org says an average of two per year in the US. This PDF mentions a child who was fatally electrocuted when trying to buy a soda.
How about amputations from trying too hard to reach the stuck item?
They’ll grow back, right…?
Jesus! Another reason not to let my kid have sodas…
-FrL-