VOICE OVER: Callum Janes WRITTEN BY: Sarah O'Sullivan
Dying is the worst. And yet, dying in ways like these is somehow wayyy worse. For this list, we'll be looking at fatal tales that will make you scratch your head in wonder. Our countdown of the dumbest ways people have died includes Petting a Cobra, Bungee Jumping, Dancing, and more!

10 Dumbest Ways People Have Died

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining the 10 Dumbest Ways People Have Died.

For this list, we’ll be looking at fatal tales that will make you scratch your head in wonder.

If you know of other deaths caused by baffling stupidity, please tell us about them in the comments section!

Protesting Helmet Regulations

Philip A. Contos was killed while protesting New York’s mandatory helmet laws. New York is one of twenty US states requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets, which has drawn criticism from some who believe riders should be allowed to decide for themselves. During a protest in 2011, Contos was driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when suddenly he had to slam on the brakes. The bike fishtailed; Contos flew over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement, and died. Medical examiners later said that Contos almost certainly would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

Petting a Cobra

Petting a cobra wasn’t the only thing that killed Wayne Roth in 1997; however, it was the main thing. Roth was already under the influence when he went to visit his friend in Pennsylvania, who happened to own a cobra. Roth stuck his hand in the snake’s tank, and the snake objected. When Roth was bitten, his friend recommended they go to the emergency room immediately; but Roth refused, and instead went to a nearby bar. By the time his friend finally persuaded him to go to the hospital, it was too late; Roth died on the way, from a combination of drugs, alcohol, and cobra venom.

Jet Skiing Over Niagara Falls

Robert Overacker had good intentions, but they sadly weren’t enough to save him. In 1995, Overacker wanted to raise awareness about homelessness. To do so, he equipped a jet ski with an improvised rocket booster and tried to shoot over Niagara Falls. He also included a parachute to ease his descent. It’s unclear whether the rocket part worked or not. Either way, the main issue was the parachute, which Overacker had neglected to attach to himself. When he went over the falls, it fluttered away, leaving him to plunge to a watery death.

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Accidental Self-Defenestration

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone out of a window. Unfortunately, Garry Hoy inadvertently did that to himself. Hoy was a successful Canadian lawyer with a side interest in architecture. He loved showing off his building’s tremendously strong windows by running into them and bouncing off, to the amazement of visitors. Unfortunately, since his office was on the twenty-fourth floor, one accident was all it took. On July 9th, 1993, Hoy pulled his stunt for the last time: the window broke, he went through, and the horrified witnesses could do nothing to save him.

Improvised Bungee Jumping

Twenty-two-year-old Eric A. Barcia was a fast food worker from Virginia. In 1997, he connected a number of short bungee cords together with tape, tied one end around his leg, and the other around the top of a railroad bridge. No one saw what happened next, but we know what did. Barcia’s body was discovered early the following morning by someone walking underneath the bridge. He had obviously jumped, fallen seventy feet, and crashed to the ground. His improvised cord was still intact; it was still attached to the bridge. It was, however, too long.

Switching Seats While Driving

On a long car ride, the driver and passenger will sometimes switch places in order to give the former a chance to rest. However, you should never do this while the car is still in motion. Kelita Nicole Hicks and her friend were driving down a Kentucky highway in 2010. Hicks stood up–the car was a convertible–and tried to step over. Apparently she stepped on the steering wheel by accident, causing the car to turn; the person who had been driving hurriedly shoved the wheel back the other way, jerking the car and throwing Hicks right off. She died of her injuries soon after.

Deadly Alarm Clock

In 1886, alarm clocks as we know them didn’t really exist. So Samuel Wardell, a lamp-lighter in New York who needed to get to work before dawn, invented his own method. He wired a clock to a shelf near his bed, which had a heavy weight on it; at the right time, the shelf would fall and the weight would loudly hit the floor, waking him up. Sadly, as with so many inventors, Wardell’s own creation led to his doom. One Christmas night, after showing off the alarm clock to admiring guests, Wardell put everything back in place; but he was tipsy, and must have been a little off with his measurements. The next morning, the weight fell down right on his head.

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Devoted to Dancing

Jean-Baptiste Lully is still remembered as a gifted French composer of the Baroque Era. He was a favorite of King Louis XIV, who appointed Lully his royal composer in 1653. Unfortunately, he eventually stabbed himself in the foot while conducting. In those days, batons were huge, so accidents were more common. Unfortunately, Lully’s wound became infected. His doctor told him the foot would have to be amputated, or the infection would spread and kill him. But Lully refused; he couldn’t bear the thought of being unable to dance. As the doctor had warned, Lully quickly died from the infection.

In Need of a Restroom

Aside from his scientific accomplishments, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe is probably best known for two things: his metal nose, and his peculiar death. Brahe had lost most of his real nose in a duel, so he strapped the metal one on to keep from looking off. As for his death, it occurred soon after a royal banquet in 1601. During the meal, Brahe realized he needed to go to the bathroom, but he didn’t want to offend his hosts; it was considered impolite to leave the table before royalty. So Brahe held it, for hours on end, until he was finally able to leave; but then he found he couldn’t go at all, and after several painful days, he died of a burst bladder.

Frozen Along With a Chicken

This one is another famous scientist. Sir Francis Bacon was a British lawyer, philosopher, and writer who helped found the scientific method. On his way to a friend’s house in 1626, Bacon was seized with an idea; he had been studying the effects of cold weather on meat, and there happened to be snow on the ground. He stopped his carriage, got out, bought a chicken, and began stuffing snow into it. Bacon was so engrossed in this experiment that by the time he realized he was cold, it was too late; he got to his friend’s house, and died there of pneumonia.