This page aims to be an aggregated list of preventable and impending threats to your life or others.
This was created following my surprise that such fundamental information is not widely taught.
If there's some information we can read to give us a chance at preventing death, all people ought to know it. It might take only a few minutes of time to learn, and potentially save lives in the future.
This guide makes a reasonable effort to validate and back its information with scientific evidence and authoritative sources.
However, especially for those without a given source, you should consider this information urban legends or last resorts.
Expert corrections and additions are strongly welcomed.
NOTICE: Call 911, or contact your local emergency services immediately if in an emergency. This is not medical advice. Do not trust anything written here to be factual. The author has no medical experience or background and claims no responsibility for how this article is used or any harms relating to the article's information. Verify for yourself or consult with a medical expert before following any health advice you read on the Internet, including here.
🚧 NOTICE: This page is a work in progress. 🚧
Meta life-saving tips
Before any specific scenarios, here are a few "meta" tips that apply to most life-threatening situations.
- Contact emergency services as soon as possible. They exist solely to handle these types of scenarios, and have more experience with these situations than anyone else.
- Expect the bystander effect. Most people will not help. Single out a person, say "YOU, CALL 911!", in order to get help. Hundreds or thousands of people can ignore violent or emergency situations right next to them, out of social fears or diffusion of responsibility. To more reliably get help, command specific people with specific instructions.
- If you feel threatened by a situation or person, trust your instincts. Do not surpress your gut feelings, in order to be polite, cool, accommodating, socially acceptable, or politically correct. Get out of the situation. We are evolved to detect danger and this is one of the most common tips from self-defense professionals. It's better to be embarassed or overly cautious than dead.x
All threats
Preventable causes of death, sorted by importance and rarity.
- If an open wound makes contact with dirt (e.g. stepping on a rusty nail), immediately ensure you are caught up on your Tetanus vaccine. If the object had Tetanus bacteria on it and it entered your bloodstream, it leads to a high chance of incurable death. 1 million deaths / year.x
- If someone's in a car accident, consider not moving them. Moving the victim may cause severe damage. 1-2 million deaths from automobiles per year.x
- If bitten by a wild or unknown animal, immediately get a Rabies shot. Even if you suspect you were bitten but unsure. For example, bats bite marks can be invisibly small. If the animal had rabies and transmitted it, it leads to incurable death after a short window. 59,000 deaths / year.x
- If there is a kitchen fire caused by oil, do not pour water on it. The fire will explode and grow. 4,000 house fire US deaths / year.x
- If someone is choking, and still able to talk and cough, let them try to cough it out on their own. Applying extra pressure may lodge the object further. 5,000 US deaths to choking / year.x
- If someone is choking and no longer able to talk or cough, apply the Heimlich maneuver.
- If you're being bitten by a human or animal, push your bitten limb TOWARDS the attacker. They may reflexively release their jaw clamping 1-2 million animal bites per year in the US.
- Never touch or have metal near a power line. Electricity can travel through you body or nearby metal objects like ladders and kill you instantly. 400 US deaths/year from electrocution.x
- If you're near an unsafe downed electrical line, hop away with both feet together. Watch this video for the unintuitive solution to this life-threatening situation. x
- Look both ways before crossing the street.
- If being offered a drink, do not accept without seeing it be made. The drink may have been drugged while you weren't watching.
- If you smell sulfur or a rotten egg smell in your home, it could be a natural gas leak, and should be evacuated & resolved immediately. It may cause an explosion or fire. The scent is added to natural gas make leaks more noticable.
- If you're unable to open your car door or windows and need to get out (e.g. you're sinking), detach your headrest and smash it through the side windows. The base of headsets may be able to break through your side windows. The front window is a stronger, reinforced glass.
- If helping someone falling off an edge, make sure both people are grabbing wrists, not hands. Wrists are less likely to slip.
- If your plane crashes into the water, inflate your life jacket AFTER you exit. Otherwise, if the cabin floods, you will float to the top and may get stuck.
- If in an active shooter situation, run away as fast and directly as possible. You might think to zig-zag, but in many cases that could delay your escape.
- If a suspicious person attempts to kidnap you, even at gunpoint, seriously consider not following their instructions and fleeing. Most kidnappings result in death. By not letting the attacker control you, you will probably catch them offguard, and significantly increase your odds of survival. They are less likely to shoot you in public. If you flee, they not only have to successfully aim to hit you, but also kill you, both events together being much better odds than if you go with them.
- If trapped in a car trunk, there is a release inside, and you can also kick out the rear tail lights to signal for help.
- If in a stampede, move with the crowd, not against. People in stampeding mobs will accidentally, or intentionally out of self-preservation, crush fallen people with extreme force. You do not want to get stuck against that.
- If struggling to have room in a stampede, create an arm cage by grabbing elbows with opposite arms, to give yourself more breathing room. This creates a few feet of stronger buffer space so you aren't crushed.
- If fallen in a stampede, try to get up immediately and protect your face and head via the fetal position. You do not want to fall in a stampede. That is how most people die. Do whatever you can to protect yourself or lift back up.
- If feeling sleepy, vomiting, or going unconscious after a head injury, go to the hospital immediately. You have a concussion which may be fatal if untreated.
- If a diabetic person is appearing goofy or drunk, they may have low blood sugar, and need to be given something sugary like orange juice. This may be fatal if untreated.
- If lost or broken down on the road, stay near your car and use it to survive. A car is the best landmark for emergency rescuers and many people abandon their cars to die nearby. You can break your side mirrors off to get the attention of planes or others far away. You can light your tires on fire to create a dark smoke signal. You can also stay cooler in the shade of your car, or warmer in the cabin.
- treating every gun as if it's loaded
- anaphylactic shock risks
- slipping in shower/tub
- mixing alcohol with medication or activities
- driving
- carbon monoxide
- nuclear explosion
- lightning
- ice
- kidnap, assault
- wounds
- cpr
- heart attack
- stroke
- meta
Life saving devices
It's a good idea to have a stock of life-saving devices with you. In your home, workplace, and/or car.
When considering the possibility of saving a life, the extra $20+ these cost is nothing compared to their utility.
- Fire extinguisher
- First aid kits
- First aid training
- Gas and particulate masks
- Life straw
- Epi Pen
- Narcan
- Car window breaker & seatbelt cutter
- Extra food and water
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