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Suggest a "freak accident" death for a funeral scene

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Ari1991 Since: Nov, 2010
#1: Feb 7th 2011 at 5:48:07 PM

I'm trying to write a scene about the funeral of a main character's sister, but I don't have a cause of death. I want it to be a freak accident because this character, while optimistic, is fairly reckless (so it wouldn't be fitting in my mind if she, oh idk... died of dysentery :p). Details that may also help:

  • She'll be 17 when she dies
  • The story takes place in the 1890s (so this eliminates certain causes of death)
  • Her personality while alive, as well as her death, are essential to the main character's growth

Any help for this will be great!

A midnight flight into Covington woods
DonZabu Since: May, 2009
#2: Feb 7th 2011 at 6:03:20 PM

Ate one too many gold nuggets.

Ran afoul of a train.

"Wax on, wax off..." "But Mr. Miyagi, I don't see how this is helping me do Karate..." "Pubic hair is weakness, Daniel-san!"
BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#3: Feb 7th 2011 at 6:04:48 PM

Tunnel collapsed.

Fell off a roof while climbing.

Killed by falling piano.

Shot while hunting.

Fell off a horse, broke neck.

Ran over by steam train.

Caught up in a tornado.

Fires a gun, killed by wildly improbable bullet ricochet.

Drowned.

Gored by a bull.

Pulled into some kind of poorly-designed early industrial contraption.

House fire.

Exploding chemistry set.

Fell off a cliff.

Stray duelling bullet.

Unexpected earthquake.

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Ronka87 Maid of Win from the mouth of madness. Since: Jun, 2009
Maid of Win
#4: Feb 7th 2011 at 6:06:47 PM

A bird drops out of the air and slams into her. Run over by a stampede of cows. Shot during a dramatic reenactment of the Civil War ("And that why we use blanks now!"). Death by corset.

Thanks for the all fish!
Ari1991 Since: Nov, 2010
#5: Feb 7th 2011 at 6:22:57 PM

@Bobby G

I'm liking the first suggestion you made. A lot. All of the others were great, too! (Especially the nugget one; this is a serious scene I'm about to write, so I was feeling a bit down, but that made my day evil grin)

A midnight flight into Covington woods
DonZabu Since: May, 2009
#6: Feb 7th 2011 at 6:33:02 PM

Take any of these accidents, and have it be that our protagonist tries to rescue her from them, but he can't.

"Wax on, wax off..." "But Mr. Miyagi, I don't see how this is helping me do Karate..." "Pubic hair is weakness, Daniel-san!"
vifetoile Since: Jan, 2001
#7: Feb 8th 2011 at 11:15:12 AM

Family scandal: She made a habit of visiting the folks on the "wrong side of the tracks" for months now, because she found them to be pleasant, kindly people free of her family's pretentious aspirations. Oh, and when we say "wrong side of the tracks," we mean literally because they live across a railroad tracks.

Anyway. The scandal worsens because the girl regularly got drunk with her new friends, and would always collapse/fall asleep on her way home. Right on the railroad tracks. But by a miracle, her catnaps always ended with a generous margin of time before the train came rollin' along. Also, perhaps, the protagonist could always pick her up an hour before dawn from the tracks, like clockwork.

Then, one night, the train conductors changed the damn schedule.

Pyroninja42 Forum Villain from the War Room Since: Jan, 2011
Forum Villain
#8: Feb 8th 2011 at 11:35:30 AM

I would suggest combing the Darwin Awards for suggestions. That place is loaded with freak accident deaths.

"Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person that doesn't get it."
IkuMasamune (Insert Badass Descrption Here) from Los Angeles Since: Nov, 2010
(Insert Badass Descrption Here)
#9: Feb 8th 2011 at 5:01:22 PM

Slipped on a banana peel and hit her head on the sidewalk

Halifax-tan does not approve of that
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