How Far Away is Death?
How far away is death? From close calls to tragic accidents, these incidents are equally shocking as insightful.
Tune in every Thursday to see the newest edition, or scroll down to browse previous topics.
Massive factory fire
December 4, 2025
At this moment, 10:20 pm, Saturday, November 29, 2025, two firefighters have been injured in a recycling factory inferno. The injured firefighters are among hundreds battling a catastrophic fireball in North St. Mary’s, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
Here’s a video of what’s happening at the scene:
A bad look
November 27, 2025
A recent murder has sparked online discussion about workplace violence and women’s safety.
On a seemingly normal Thursday morning at Advanced Process Technologies, David Delong picked up a sledgehammer and struck his coworker Amber Czech. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Delong admitted his actions to the authorities and is in custody (on a $5 million bail) until his trial in January.
What was the motive for such a heinous act?
Delong told prosecutors she gave him “a bad look”. He had been planning this murder for some time because he “didn’t like” her.
While we can’t predict shocking tragedies like this one, we can still put safeguards in place to prevent them.
Proactive measures like tool monitoring systems, self-defense or de-escalation training, risk assessments or reports, and safe spaces can help keep workers safe.
This week’s edition was written by Jacob.
Fleeing killers on the hunt
November 20, 2025
A seal in Washington state recognized danger as a pod of orca whales on the hunt grew close to it. Thinking fast, the seal jumped into a nearby boat full of photographers recording the orcas. Naturally, the cameras turned to record the seal’s actions. Watch video below.
Killed by a Butterfly?
November 13, 2025
It’s almost been a full year since a teenager died after injecting himself with the remains of a butterfly for an alleged online challenge.
14-year-old Davi Nunes Moreira started to feel unwell after injecting a diluted, crushed-up butterfly into his leg. He admitted his action to his father, went to hospital, then passed away seven days later.
There’s speculation he performed this act for an online challenge, but I couldn’t find any credible sources to confirm this claim. The autopsy nor the police report have been made public.
Some butterflies contains toxins, but they’re usually not very harmful to humans upon consumption. The cause of death could have been related to an infection from the syringe, embolism from an air bubble, or perhaps poisoning from the insect. The biochemistry of butterflies is extremely complex, so it’s hard to say for sure.
In any case, this is a tragedy that highlights the importance of proper supervision.
Whether or not the idea sparked from the internet or his own mind, this could have been prevented. Children and young adults lack risk-assessment skills, so it’s up to us to be a voice of guidance for those with less experience.
This week’s edition was written by Jacob.
Monster Melissa
November 6, 2025
Last week, the strongest storm of the year, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, made landfall in Jamaica with violent 185 mph winds amid officials warning of catastrophic flooding. A TikTok influencer, Nicole Doyon, was on the island nation for a retreat with 14 girls and shared live updates of the superstorm as well as how to make the most of what you have on hand and determining the safest place to hunker down.
“I did have severe anxiety, so if we can just keep the comments as positive as possible, because I am having really bad moments,” Doyon told her followers that day. “We are scared, and we know it’s going to be traumatizing.”
Content source/credit: People, “Influencer Forced to Shelter During Yoga Trip in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall,” October 28, 2025.
Stowaway discovered deceased on plane
October 30, 2025
In the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, maintenance crews discovered the body of a stowaway on an American Airlines plane, which had originated in Europe. This is the second time in 2025 that the body of a stowaway has been discovered on board a plane.
Lightning strike
October 16, 2025
All of a sudden, a man, his wife, and their huge, beloved dog were fighting to flee an out-of-control roof fire in their North Carolina home. Lightning struck the roof of their home, and the fire spread quickly.
Do you have a plan for getting everyone safely out of your home in a situation such as a lightning strike?
When sports turn ugly
October 9, 2025
You don’t have to look far to find a sporting event wherein something turns sour, right? Folks have been badly injured or killed during soccer matches, as in stampedes or a crowd surge. Stunts often go wrong, and players have unfortunately passed away during sporting events, whether in boxing/wrestling, baseball, car racing, or more.
Autobahn bridges
September 25, 2025
In case you haven’t been on a German autobahn bridge lately, perhaps you’ve read that an alarming number of these bridges are in bad shape, many in danger of collapse.
Here’s what we’ve learned: “At the end of May 2024, the Moseltal bridge made for an unusual sight. Twenty-four bright red trucks had been parked close together in the middle of the wide autobahn bridge at a height of 136 meters (446 feet). The 960-ton load was being used to test how much the 50-plus-year-old structure, now badly worn and damaged, could still withstand. In early 2023, cracks were discovered throughout the steel structure of the nearly 1-kilometer long bridge. The test results are still being evaluated.
“The Moseltal bridge is not an isolated case. In Germany, as many as 5,000 of the 40,000 bridges along the country’s autobahns are in such poor condition that they urgently need repair.”
“How long can a dilapidated bridge still be used? Setting a speed limit and closing it to heavy vehicles could extend a bridge’s life, but even these kinds of restrictions cannot rule out a sudden collapse.”
“In late 2021, the Rahmede bridge in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was found to be so badly damaged that it had to be closed due to the risk of collapse. It was finally demolished in 2023 and new construction is underway. The first section is not due to be completed until 2026 at the earliest.
“This is a disaster for the region. Before the closure, around 48,000 cars and almost 16,000 trucks crossed the bridge every day. Although traffic is being diverted over a wide area, thousands of vehicles still pass through the small town of Lüdenscheid and the neighboring villages every day.”
Content source/credit: DW (Deutsche Welle), “Germany’s autobahn bridges falling apart,” Sabine Kinkartz, 6/22/2024.
Human error & vehicle accidents
September 18, 2025
Did you know that while vehicle accidents can be caused by vehicle malfunction, nature, bad road conditions, weather occurrences, almost 90% of vehicle accidents are caused by human error?According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), 36.8% of occupational fatalities were transportation accidents.
