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Incredibly Dangerous Things Everyone Assumes Are Safe

black and yellow poison sign

Mikael Seegen on Unsplash

Reddit user Deviant55-11 asked: 'What’s really dangerous but everyone treats it like it’s safe?'

There are things on Earth that are clearly dangerous: flash floods, wildfires, tornados, hurricanes, Australia...

But there are also things that people think are completely safe that can be deadly.

Sometimes it's because of the appearance of the dangerous thing. Humans tend to trust cute and cuddly looking fauna and beautiful flora.

Looks can be deceiving though.


Reddit user Deviant55-11 asked:

"What’s really dangerous but everyone treats it like it’s safe?"

Stress

"Way too many people have physical issues/injuries due to stress."

"One of my mates, who I went to the gym with, thought he had a lower back injury. Went to several doctors to get it checked, medication, massages, kinesiotherapy, etc..."

"Not one of them mentioned stress."

"He went on a 2 week holiday with his girlfriend this summer, did f'k all and no worries other than making it in time for their dinner reservations. And he's completely fine now."

~ Psychological_Bar855

The Great Outdoors

"I get a lot of tourists in my area trying to casually summit the local 14,000ft mountain in sandals."

"Some weeks in the summer are absolutely nuts for SAR (search and rescue) and the emergency room staff."

"It’s frankly disturbing how common this kind of interaction is."

"But a lot of people don’t have the exposure to nature to really understand that the elements can and will endanger you at the drop of a hat."

~ pas-mal-

"Was snowshoeing down a mountain near dusk fully equipped and with emergency gear."

"A family of four with teens was walking up in light jackets and jeans. No hats. There was one backpack present that looked pretty empty. No one had water bottles."

"My snowshoe partner and I both looked at each other wide eyed."

~ TwoIdleHands

Home Sweet Home

"Household every day cleaning chemicals."

~ nocap9494

"Especially if you mix them to make a 'better, stronger' cleaner."

~ GoldwingGranny

"I've worked years in janitorial, and my tip is never mix bleach with ANYTHING, including urine since it has ammonia and will create a toxic gas."

"Honestly never mix anything without doing research first, we all have phones, look it up dammit!"

~ that0neGuy65

Bacteria

"Infections. Every person reacts differently to them. Don't assume you are the average."

~ ntfashionable2loveme

"Sepsis is no joke."

~ Limp-Bullfrog-3483

"Met a woman and her husband in 2018 at a show, nice people. Few months later she messaged our group chat and her husband had died of sepsis."

"He’d been sick but refused to go to the hospital because of expenses. In the end, he lost his life trying to save money."

"He was only in his early 30’s too."

~ Jessiefrance89

Compressed Air

"I was once putting air in a car tire while on a road trip with a friend. After filling the last tire I handed him the tube and started screwing on the cap."

"For some dumb reason, he thought it would be funny to stick the air tube in my ear and turn it on."

"I couldn’t hear out of that ear for like 20 minutes and it hurt so f'king much. I probably should have gone to the hospital but the pain went away almost instantly and my hearing came back so I just didn’t go."

~ PeacefulPleasure7

Tires

"When I was in school for underwater welding, there were air compressors and tanks all over the place."

"One day we heard a huge explosion and my immediate assumption was that one of the tanks blew up (I served as an infantryman in the Army and did a tour in Afghanistan, I heard more than my fair share of explosions), my buddy and I ran outside to see if anyone needed help, and it turns out someone overfilled the tire on a wheelbarrow and it blew up."

"I was amazed at the volume."

~ Dwayne_Gertzky

"Yeah, tires are terrifying things."

"People don't realize that PSI means how much pressure is in it PER SQUARE INCH. So something that's 20in.sq. in surface area at 100psi is holding back 2000 lbs of f'k you."

"I mean, there's enough energy in there that they are like a small bomb."

~ viperfan7

"Mythbusters did this one and the force was enough to decapitate the ballistics dummy."

~ jacksclevername

"I was on an L.A. freeway when a semi-truck tire blew. It sounded like a bomb and it made my Dodge Durango rock to the side."

"I didn't go on two wheels but for a second I thought it might. It was two lanes over and about 25 feet ahead."

~ ColossusOfChoads

Trampolines

"Bruised my ribs from jumping on a trampoline as a kid and getting launched off of it by a weight imbalance from 2 friends who were also jumping on it with me."

"That literally knocked the air out of me when I hit the ground and I thought I was gonna die because I couldn't breathe."

"I still have stiffness in that side of my ribcage, I can't bend over all the way sideways on that side like I can on the other. I haven't been on a trampoline since."

~ a_loveable_bunny

"My 9 year old son was in a trampoline playing 'ring around the rosy' with his older brother and a friend. The safety zipper was left open. When they all let go, my son flew backwards out of the open zipper and landed on his head."

"He was rushed to the ER and began seizing as my wife carried him in (we had a newborn so I was stuck home until a neighbor could get over and watch him)."

"While we’re in the trauma room, as the doctor is examining the open wound on his head, he finds this bloody fibrous almond sized thing in his head."

"Turns out the palm trees above the tramp dropped fruit, and after the birds/rodents get to it, the pit is left behind. His head impacted directly on the palm nut, cracking his skull and causing a brain bleed."

"He had emergency brain surgery to stop the bleed, and ended up with a small plate in his head."

"We were very lucky—injury was to his occipital lobe, and they only had to zap about a pea-sized piece of his brain. Worst case his peripheral vision may have been slightly impacted."

"Little man made a full recovery."

~ MickeysAndNightTrain

Hair

"Long hair around pulleys and belts."

"There’s a YouTube channel where two young ladies are working around a sawmill with long hair, and I can’t count how many times people have begged them in the comments to tuck their hair up."

"They don’t."

~ VSM1951AG

"In 11th grade I had hair down to my butt & was weirdly pretty good at working the horizontal lathe at my school. Tons of rotating parts, it’s used to cut & shave down pieces of metal."

"I had my hair in a pony tail instead of a bun & I thought someone was pulling my hair & then my head slammed down to the machine & within like three seconds my hand broke cuz I put my hand in to save my hair."

"My classmate pulled the plug on the machine & saved my life!"

~ sopooohia

Wildlife

"I was in Thailand when a 30 year old got bitten by a monkey. Her complaint? No one had warned her not to pet the monkeys. Honest to God."

~ happyele

"Monkeys are some of the most terrifying animals, because they are like humans without the layer of civility and twice as strong."

"They seem to be intentionally mean sometimes, like they understand they are causing pain and it excites them."

"Sure a cougar or a bear will run you down and kill you if you trespass in their territory/mess with their kids or they are extremely hungry, but a monkey will leap from a tree and rip your face off like a left for dead Jockey just to make their friends laugh."

~ mooimafish33

"Seems like every year in the US someone decides to pet a Bison or a bear while in a national park... doesn't usually end well for them."

~ Kooky_Ad_5139

"I can see wanting to pet a bison or bear before the trip and haven't seen either in real life."

"But to look at a 2400lb bison and think to yourself 'let's go mess with that' is just stupid."

~ iwannagohome49

"Was at Yellowstone a while back and hiked a short, hilly mile-long loop trail. On the way back down, a herd of bison ambled across the trail, cutting us off from the parking lot below."

"The herd was fairly strung out and was in no hurry, so we moved well away and watched them pass. In the parking lot we could see a ranger watching us."

"When the herd had passed, we finished the trail and met the ranger. He said that he was watching us to make sure we didn’t do anything ill-advised, like approach the herd."

"I asked 'Are people really that stupid that they’d just walk up to a bison?' He just sighed and said 'You have no idea'."

~ Von_Moistus

There are hidden dangers all around us.

Be alert, be informed and be smart.

It can save your life.

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