# Vending machine deaths **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253 "2006-11-21T05:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/1 "2006-11-21T05:12:41Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/2 "2006-11-21T05:36:20Z")
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](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. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/3 "2006-11-21T16:33:08Z")
“Nice round numbers” is one clue that moves up the needle on my BS meter. They’re unusual in real life. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/4 "2006-11-21T16:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] “Nice round numbers” is one clue that moves up the needle on my BS meter. They’re unusual in real life. :dubious: [/QUOTE] Studies indicate that as many as one in ten mumbers may end with a zero. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/5 "2006-11-21T17:43:25Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Studies indicate that as many as one in ten mumbers may end with a zero. [/QUOTE] And further studies indicate that at least one in ten of those numbers that end with a zero, a 5 preceeds said zero. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/6 "2006-11-21T18:11:37Z")
Noone else have an answer for this one ? I am surprised. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/7 "2006-11-21T18:12:41Z")
I was just approximating 50 as I cannot remember the study properly. If I did I would have said 49.37. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/8 "2006-11-21T18:16:13Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/9 "2006-11-21T18:18:33Z")
On thinking about it, one soda machine I know of died of multiple gun shot wounds. Not sure how that correlates. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/10 "2006-11-21T18:25:55Z")
What about the one where some large amount of people die each year from falling coconuts? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/11 "2006-11-21T20:45:08Z")
[deathdata.org](http://deathdata.org/) says an average of two per year in the US. [This PDF](http://deathdata.org/) 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? ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/12 "2006-11-22T00:25:13Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] How about amputations from trying too hard to reach the stuck item? [/QUOTE] _They’ll grow back, right…?_ ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vending-machine-deaths/381253/13 "2006-11-22T00:34:17Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] 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? [/QUOTE] Jesus! Another reason not to let my kid have sodas… -FrL-