History Main / SuicideNotAccident

* Played with in a ''Literature{{Spenser}}'' story: A banker was killed by an accomplice in a real estate/loan scam, and his death was made to look like a suicide. His wife, now widow, discovered his body and decided to make it look like a murder/robbery-gone-wrong because she thought their life insurance wouldn't pay on the presumed suicide. Cue Spenser being hired to figure out what's going on (especially since the widow, who doesn't know about the loan scam, is automatically the most likely suspect of the 'rearranged' murder).

Compare MakeItLookLikeAnAccident and SuicideNotMurder. Contrast NeverSuicide and AccidentNotMurder.

* In ''The Raven in the Foregate'', a Literature/BrotherCadfael novel by Creator/EllisPeters, most of the Foregate residents assume that Father Ailnoth [[DrivenToSuicide drove Eluned to drown herself]]. But luckily for Eluned, her body drifted into another parish. The priests of Saint Chad gave her Christian burial on the grounds that no one could ''prove'' she was a suicide.

Compare MakeItLookLikeAnAccident and SuicideNotMurder. Contrast NeverSuicide.

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* The murderer in ''Zombies of the Gene Pool'' is on medication that cannot be taken with alcohol. When he realizes that he's in a SummationGathering that will identify him as the murderer, he drinks a great deal of wine so his death can be passed off as "old guy not paying attention to warning labels".

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* Common in {{Police Procedural}}s.
** ''Series/{{CSI}}'': in one episode, an unemployed man is ultimately shown to have committed suicide whilst out "hunting" in order that his wife can claim on an insurance policy he has taken out in her name, since it will be assumed he died in a hunting accident.
** Another variant is the policeman who dies while "cleaning his gun" and it "accidentally discharged."
** Most crime dramas will have at least one moment where it's stated that someone officially died accidentally, but make it clear they were simply being "polite".

* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': In "Dangerous Curve Ahead", Frankie investigates a suspicious car accident only to discover the driver had deliberate run her car off the road; picking a point where the crash was guaranteed to kill her.

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* In ''Webcomic/TooMuchInformation'', the car accident that killed Larry and Hellene is revealed to be intentional on Hellene's part, distraught after being confronted by Larry over losing their money in a 419 scam.

Compare NeverSuicide, MakeItLookLikeAnAccident, and SuicideNotMurder.

There are several reasons why a person would do this. In a modern setting, many insurance companies won't pay full death benefits on a suicide and may pay extra for accidental death. Suicide was a crime for decades (if not centuries) in many countries; just because someone wants to end it all doesn't mean he wants his body shipped off for dissection, exposed or otherwise dishonored. [[SuicideIsShameful Some religions condemn suicide]], a believer who wants to be [[DueToTheDead buried in the faith]] would have to choose a death method that could be ruled "accident".

There are several reasons why a person would do this. In a modern setting, many insurance companies won't pay full death benefits on a suicide and may pay extra for accidental death. Suicide was a crime for decades (if not centuries) in many countries; just because someone wants to end it all doesn't mean he wants his body shipped off for dissection, exposed or otherwise dishonored. Some religions condemn suicide, a believer who wants to be [[DueToTheDead buried in the faith]] would have to choose a death method that could be ruled "accident".

* He doesn't go through with it, but Reggie Fenyx strongly considers an "accidental" high speed car crash as a way of dealing with his shellshock in ''[[Literature/ElementalMasters Phoenix and Ashes]]''.

* On ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' John Teller's death was officially ruled an accident. He seemed to have lost control of his motorcycle and collided with an oncoming truck. However, some people who knew him suspect that it was a suicide. John was very depressed at the time because the 'biker brotherhood' he helped to create has turned into just another criminal gang. He also discovered that his wife and best friend were sleeping together and might have been plotting to kill him.

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* Common in PoliceProcedurals.

* Played complexly in ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga The Warrior's Apprentice]]''. When a medtech pelts in to find 'Admiral Naismith's' really scary bodyguard dead, Miles states "He was cleaning the weapons. The needler was set on auto rapid fire." The woman that shot his lifelong bodyguard takes this as an act to cover for her, but he knew full well she would be the one dead if Bothari made any attempt to defend himself.

* Inverted in ''Film/FinalDestination''. One of the teenagers who would have died on Flight 180 slips in the bathroom and a cord in the shower wraps around his neck, strangling him as he struggles to get out of the bathtub and reach for a pair of scissors to cut the cord. His family finds him and assume that he committed suicide.

* Alluded to in "The Napoli Express" (one of the ''Literature/LordDarcy'' stories). Most of the people in the sleeper car are on their way to the funeral of a former commander. Said commander's death is suspected to be a covert suicide, but the coroner allows a verdict of "accident" to permit a Catholic funeral.

** ''{{CSI}}'': in one episode, an unemployed man is ultimately shown to have committed suicide whilst out "hunting" in order that his wife can claim on an insurance policy he has taken out in her name, since it will be assumed he died in a hunting accident.

* {{Psych}}: The VictimOfTheWeek is a stunt biker having a series of suspicious near-fatal accidents or near-accidents; it's eventually revealed that he's dying of cancer, but only insured against accidental death. Shawn stops the investigation, but it's left ambiguous whether he goes through with it or not.

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* Alan Turing's death from a cyanide-tainted apple was officially ruled a suicide, but his mother always insisted it was accidental, the result of careless chemical storage. It's entirely possible that Turing was trying for this trope to spare his mother.

* ''DeathOfASalesman'': Willy Loman tries to provide for his family by killing himself in a way that looks like an accident. Specifically, he runs his car off the road to fake a traffic accident.
* Ophelia in ''{{Hamlet}}'' is allowed a Christian burial because, although she seems to have purposefully refrained from saving herself, it was technically an accident. A sexton points out at her funeral that if she hadn't been a noble, they wouldn't have given her the benefit of the doubt.

* Inverted in an episode of ''LifeOnMars''; a death with all the outward appearance of a murder turns out to have been an accident.
* Subverted in an episode of ''InspectorMorse'' in which Morse believes the victim was murdered and their death made to look like an accident, but it turns out it really was an accident. However, the investigation uncovers an art fraud ring and at least one actual murder takes place during the episode.

* In ''The Raven in the Foregate'', a Literature/BrotherCadfael novel by EllisPeters, most of the Foregate residents assume that Father Ailnoth [[DrivenToSuicide drove Eluned to drown herself]]. But luckily for Eluned, her body drifted into another parish. The priests of Saint Chad gave her Christian burial on the grounds that no one could ''prove'' she was a suicide.