NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/04/methane.deaths.ap/index.html

Shit. :(

I heard about that on the news. Sad. As each one tried to rescue the others, they were overcome and died.

Shit happens, and then you die.

Are the puns in this thread intentional?

Still.:(

I saw this story yesterday and I was wondering if anyone was going to post it.

There are a lot of bad ways to die, but this has to be one of the worst.

But then there's this, which is even worse:

http://www.darwinawards.com/legends/legends1998-09.html

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/04/methane.deaths.ap/index.html

Shit. :(

That sums it all, what a way to go... condolences.

:( :(

I heard about that on the local news... :(

That's a horrible way to go, especially for two kids :(

I saw this story yesterday and I was wondering if anyone was going to post it.

There are a lot of bad ways to die, but this has to be one of the worst.

But then there's this, which is even worse:

http://www.darwinawards.com/legends/legends1998-09.html

At least it's not the lady who gave birth to a couple hundred mud shrimp and died of shock/banging her head on the sink...

where were the pigs? when were they last in there? mmmm????

/sherlock holmes

where were the pigs? when were they last in there? mmmm????

Oh, Brick Top was disposing of a few bodies with them at the time. They're clean.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/04/methane.deaths.ap/index.html

Shit. :(

Shit indeed.

Oh, Brick Top was disposing of a few bodies with them at the time. They're clean.

Are they??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6337009.stm

A typical display of American intelligence.

A typical display of American intelligence.

Oh for fucks sake...thats really uncalled for....

A typical display of American intelligence.

Watch out for drop bears, mate.

Oh for fucks sake...thats really uncalled for....

What? I'm just saying. One person going into an area that's OBVIOUSLY filled with deadly chemicals, I can understand. FIVE? There's something up there.

Watch out for drop bears, mate.

...what is a drop bear?

...what is a drop bear?

It's a carnivorous koala. They're quite rare and awfully cute. Until one of them leaps onto your face and starts digging with all four sets of claws at once. *nod*

Are the puns in this thread intentional?

Still.:(
Agreed. It reminds me of similar deaths of people in septic tanks...urgh.

I suppose if my father fell face down into a pit of manure I wouldn't go run to help because I'll stop and say: "Oh shit METHANE!!!!!!!!!1111111 RUUN MUTHER FUCKERS!"

Shhhh you're making his ignorance all the more obvious :p

A typical display of American intelligence.

"You cannot smell it, you cannot see it, but it's an instant kill,"

I suppose if my father fell face down into a pit of manure I wouldn't go run to help because I'll stop and say: "Oh shit METHANE!!!!!!!!!1111111 RUUN MUTHER FUCKERS!"

It's a carnivorous koala. They're quite rare and awfully cute. Until one of them leaps onto your face and starts digging with all four sets of claws at once. *nod*


You can see one at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, right next to the jackalope ;)

In any circumstance it was quick and painless. I'm fairly certain they didn't even feel a thing except for dizzyness and then unconciousness.

A typical display of American intelligence.

Methane gas is odourless and it kills instantly. There was no way of knowing it was present. The people who went in had good intentions. This is not a "display of American intelligence". RTFA.

There's a reason there are very specific safety rules in situations like that. And why no one should go into such a pit without a harness on them and someone to drag their asses out.

There's a reason there are very specific safety rules in situations like that. And why no one should go into such a pit without a harness on them and someone to drag their asses out.

And don't light a match. :p

I'm sure it's hard for the victim's families to digest this news.

Too soon? (http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/user_images/pics/10/10283000/ngbbs45060ecc903b9.jpg)

A typical display of American intelligence.

Two kids died.
You're heartless.

I heard about that on the news. Sad. As each one tried to rescue the others, they were overcome and died.The really sad thing is that it's not uncommon. It's a byproduct of factory farming and the massive processing plants and feedlots.

The really sad thing is that it's not uncommon. It's a byproduct of factory farming and the massive processing plants and feedlots.

At least it was relatively painless. Not like the poor schmucks in China who were in that smelting plant when the hinge on the carrier broke and dumped umpteen tons of molten steel on them.

At least it was relatively painless. Not like the poor schmucks in China who were in that smelting plant when the hinge on the carrier broke and dumped umpteen tons of molten steel on them.

I'm sure that didn't hurt for very long.

I'm sure that didn't hurt for very long.

Time's relative.

Lemme put it this way. While you're mucking about in the mud for 3 hours, I bet it feels like only a few minutes when you've got to go take a bath.

But I bet a 5 minute bath with soap feels like an eternity.

At first I wanted to use standard pleasure/pain references, but seeing as it's you LG, I figured this was more effective. :p

Besides, the way the article showed it, the steel flowed into their prefab meeting room, so it didn't fall on their heads, but flooded them. There's time aplenty to feel your skin frying and the fat on your body bursting into flames as your eyeballs melt in their sockets.

Time's relative.

Lemme put it this way. While you're mucking about in the mud for 3 hours, I bet it feels like only a few minutes when you've got to go take a bath.

But I bet a 5 minute bath with soap feels like an eternity.

At first I wanted to use standard pleasure/pain references, but seeing as it's you LG, I figured this was more effective. :p

Know your audience. *nod* :)

sad... especially the deaths of the children.

What? I'm just saying. One person going into an area that's OBVIOUSLY filled with deadly chemicals, I can understand. FIVE? There's something up there.
oh?
Farmers typically take pains to ventilate manure pits where methane often gathers. On Tuesday, a cousin of Scott Showalter questioned whether runoff from a pile of cattle feed could have trickled into the pit and accelerated the formation of the gas.
So if the place was recently ventilated, then this unexpected buildup of gas might've been unforseen. but I guess when your friend/family member keels over, your first thought won't be to go down and help them.

I'm sure that didn't hurt for very long. for those directly under the... wave... but what of those who only had parts or was not completely immersed with the molten stuff.

man, I would like to find something funny about the situation... but anything I can think of is either inappropriate... or in very bad taste. :(

sad... especially the deaths of the children.


oh?

So if the place was recently ventilated, then this unexpected buildup of gas might've been unforseen. but I guess when your friend/family member keels over, your first thought won't be to go down and help them.

for those directly under the... wave... but what of those who only had parts or was not completely immersed with the molten stuff.

man, I would like to find something funny about the situation... but anything I can think of is either inappropriate... or in very bad taste. :(

He who smelt it, dealt it?

Besides, the way the article showed it, the steel flowed into their prefab meeting room, so it didn't fall on their heads, but flooded them. There's time aplenty to feel your skin frying and the fat on your body bursting into flames as your eyeballs melt in their sockets.... thank you.. my active and VERY well detailed imagination thanks you for supplying it with this material... :(

The really sad thing is that it's not uncommon. It's a byproduct of factory farming and the massive processing plants and feedlots.
Certainly, although there was a very similar case of father and two sons dying in their households small septic tank from hydrogen sulfide poisoning and/or suffocation. Someone who has no experience with the effects of inhalation poisoning can't imagine the speed and abruptness of the debilitation. And even if one has heard of the danger it's hard to look for tools when you see your father collapsing.

Besides, the way the article showed it, the steel flowed into their prefab meeting room, so it didn't fall on their heads, but flooded them. There's time aplenty to feel your skin frying and the fat on your body bursting into flames as your eyeballs melt in their sockets.
Damn, and I was about to go to bed too. :( Lovely image.

Methane gas is odourless and it kills instantly. There was no way of knowing it was present. The people who went in had good intentions. This is not a "display of American intelligence". RTFA.
Person nr.1 goes in - falls over, person 2 believes he has suffered a heart attack.
Person nr.2 goes in - falls over, another heart attack?
Now I'm not exactly sure what happened precisely, but as far as I read from the article, Person nr.3 alerts the wife of Person nr.1, and she along with her daughters enters the pit and dies. Either it's stupidity on the part of nr.3 or the wife as far as I can tell. Nr.3 either told her what happened, and she decided to enter the pit even though 2 other people had already died instantly, or nr.3 didn't tell her, in which case he's an idiot for not warning her. That's how I see it.
This case makes me wonder, didn't anyone of them have experience with methane build-ups? You would think that they knew some basic safety rules, something like: Don't enter the pit if people pass out instantly from entering it. If you live and work on a farm, basic safety rules should really be taught to everyone, even if they're not directly linked to a persons job on the farm.

Sad story though, nothing worse than when a lack of education causes death. This story could've ended when the first person collapsed, or better yet, before. They should've gotten one of those gas detectors people that work with sewage use to see if it's safe to work.

Don't enter the pit if people pass out instantly from entering it.
I'd enter the pit if it was my father. Hell, probably if it was my friend. I'd hyperventylate and hope that I manage to get him out before I have to take a breath. I guess just what the second guy thought, and the wife. And the poor kids probably just couldn't stand there and watch their parents dying. Could you?

... thank you.. my active and VERY well detailed imagination thanks you for supplying it with this material... :(

Damn, and I was about to go to bed too. :( Lovely image.

That's only a small part of it really. Ever imagine trying to breathe air at several hundred celcius? Think long and hard about what that would do to your nostrils, esophagus and lungs.

Lets not forget that at sudden high temperature spikes like that, your blood literally flash boils, escaping energetically and making all your veins go "Boom"

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/04/methane.deaths.ap/index.html

Shit. :(
Hydrogen Sulfide gas is a nasty thing. First it neutralizes your ability to smell it, then it paralyzes your ability to breathe. Then you pass out and die.

Sad story...

I would find this sad if it wasn't so stupid. Everyone decided to just dive right in there after the second guy didn't come out? Did they think he coincidentally had a heart attack too? No one bother to consider that something else may have took him out? Anyone should have known better.

Shit can kill, but shit can also save:
Falling woman saved by pile of...
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese woman survived a plunge from a sixth-floor balcony thanks to a convenient pile of excrement which broke her fall, local media said.

The accident happened when the woman was hanging out laundry on Monday in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, the Kuaibao tabloid said on its Web site (www.kuaibao.net).

"Workers happened to be emptying the building's septic tank, which had not been tended for a long time and had regularly blocked sewage pipes," the newspaper said.

"She probably stretched out too far and fell ... right on to a 20 cm-thick heap of excrement."

The woman suffered only slight injuries, the newspaper said.

In March, a six-year-old girl broke only her left leg when she fell six floors on to a pile of snow in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
Falling woman saved by pile of... (http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0434622720070404?feedType=RSS)
Here's the original story from Shanghai paper, the China News in case you're interested:
http://www.cns.com.cn/sh/news/2007/04-03/906532.shtml

Shit can kill, but shit can also save:

Falling woman saved by pile of... (http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0434622720070404?feedType=RSS)
Here's the original story from Shanghai paper, the China News in case you're interested:
http://www.cns.com.cn/sh/news/2007/04-03/906532.shtml

*sings* Our baby fell out of the window
You'd think that her head would be split
But good luck was with her that morning
She fell in a barrel of shhhhhhaving cream!
Be nice and clean!
Shave everyday and you'll always look keen!

*sings* Our baby fell out of the window
You'd think that her head would be split
But good luck was with her that morning
She fell in a barrel of shhhhhhaving cream!
Be nice and clean!
Shave everyday and you'll always look keen!

Dr. Demento thinks you're spot on ;)

Person nr.1 goes in - falls over, person 2 believes he has suffered a heart attack.
Person nr.2 goes in - falls over, another heart attack?
Now I'm not exactly sure what happened precisely, but as far as I read from the article, Person nr.3 alerts the wife of Person nr.1, and she along with her daughters enters the pit and dies. Either it's stupidity on the part of nr.3 or the wife as far as I can tell. Nr.3 either told her what happened, and she decided to enter the pit even though 2 other people had already died instantly, or nr.3 didn't tell her, in which case he's an idiot for not warning her. That's how I see it.
This case makes me wonder, didn't anyone of them have experience with methane build-ups? You would think that they knew some basic safety rules, something like: Don't enter the pit if people pass out instantly from entering it. If you live and work on a farm, basic safety rules should really be taught to everyone, even if they're not directly linked to a persons job on the farm.

Sad story though, nothing worse than when a lack of education causes death. This story could've ended when the first person collapsed, or better yet, before. They should've gotten one of those gas detectors people that work with sewage use to see if it's safe to work.
actually, you have it too simplified. so let's back it up shall we?

Authorities said Showalter entered a manure pit to unclog a pipe Monday evening and was quickly overcome by the methane. Stoltzfus, apparently believing Showalter had a heart attack, went in after him and also passed out.
so Person 1 went into the pit to unclog a pipe and passed out.

Person 2 (and 3 which will be shown later) see person two collapse and one goes down to help him while person 3 runs off. (where's person 3?) person 2 collapses, probably no one watching him going down.

now add this factor.
Showalter shimmied through the 4-foot opening into the concrete enclosure, which is similar to an underground tank.

so it's not as simple as climbing down a ladder into a hole, but actually shimming though a pipe to get to the pit.

now... where's that third person... oh yes...
while Person #2 is attempting a rescue, person #3 is running to tell the wife of the problem.
Another farm worker alerted Showalter's wife, who rushed to the pit followed by Shayla and Christina.

so all four of them get to the pit. now by this time, the only person who knows what's happening is someone who was probably told by Stoltzfus that Showalter was having a heart attack.
Authorities said Showalter entered a manure pit to unclog a pipe Monday evening and was quickly overcome by the methane. Stoltzfus, apparently believing Showalter had a heart attack, went in after him and also passed out.

so all four run to the pipe entrance but don't see Stoltzfus or Showalter. so the first thought is not that both are dead but that Stoltzfus is having trouble with Showalter. so the wife goes in to check on her husband. the daughters follow to try to help.

so when all three (which should've been ONE more) pass out, there is someone there to realize what happened and warn the others back. (the worker who told Showalter's wife that her husband was in trouble in the pit.)

now add to that the fact that the methane buildup was accellerated by recent rains...
On Tuesday, a cousin of Scott Showalter questioned whether runoff from a pile of cattle feed could have trickled into the pit and accelerated the formation of the gas.
could still have caused those deaths even if they did follow procedures and vented that pit once a week.

Now add to that the fact that those detectors cost money (and we know all about the gobs of money those farmers make) and that doesn't elliminate the chance of those detectors breaking down.

So this seems more of a freak accident than any "lack of education" you may suggest.

Shit can kill, but shit can also save:

Falling woman saved by pile of... (http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0434622720070404?feedType=RSS)
Here's the original story from Shanghai paper, the China News in case you're interested:
http://www.cns.com.cn/sh/news/2007/04-03/906532.shtml

... which reminds me of a wise saying from a fiction book I once read.

"When falling head first into the city's sewers.... DON'T SCREAM!"

No autopsies ??

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=689&page=95