HOW NOT TO DIE

A vending machine overturns. A tree suddenly splinters. A generator emits toxic gas. It may seem far-fetched to worry that any of these random events could kill you, but unintentional injuries claim the lives of 3.9 million people around the globe each year, according to the World Health Organization. Read on for cautionary tales and expert tips that can keep you from becoming an unlikely statistic.

1. IF YOU SEE A BEAR, FREEZE.
When Brian Matayoshi, 58, and his wife, Marylyn, were hiking in Yellowstone National Park on July 6, 2011, they came upon a grizzly bear and fled, screaming. Brian was bitten and clawed to death; Marylyn, who had stopped and crouched behind a tree, was approached by the bear but left unharmed. The lesson? If you come face to face with a wild animal, resist the urge to run, which can trigger the beast’s predatory instinct. Even better, reduce the risk of an attack by giving bears a chance to get out of your way. “Try to stay in the open,” says Larry Aumiller, former manager of Alaska’s McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and Refuge. “If you have to move through thick brush, make noise by clapping and shouting.” And always carry repellent pepper spray when hiking; it can deter a charging bear from up to five metres away, though you should start spray-ing from at least twice that distance.

2. DON’T DRIVE ATVS ON PAVED ROADS.
On July 14, 2013, Taylor Fails turned left in his 2004 Yamaha Rhino ATV at a paved intersection near his LasVegas–area home. The high-traction tire treads gripped the road, and the vehicle flipped, ejecting 20-year-old Fails and a 22-year-old passenger. Fails died at the scene; the passenger sustained minor injuries. Surprisingly, two out of three fatal ATV accidents in the United States take place on paved roads. That’s because the vehicle’s “soft, knobby tires are designed for traction on uneven ground and will behave unpredictably on pavement,” says Paul Vitrano, executive vice-president of the ATV Safety Institute. His advice: “If you must cross a paved road, go straight across in first gear.”

3. DON’T CUT DOWN LEANING TREES.
Even lumberjacks worry about an effect known as a barber chair. If a leaning tree falls too fast, the trunk won’t make a clean break. Instead, the fibers of the tree will split, and the rear half of the trunk will snap backwards. Says Mark Chisholm, past president of New Jersey Arborists, a chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, “It’s very violent, and it’s very quick.” If you don’t have proper training, it’s best to leave leaning trees alone or call in a professional. 

4. CROSS STREAMS STRATEGICALLY.
Close to 500 water-related fatalities occur in Canada each year—even a shallow stream can pack a surprising amount of force. Once you've been knocked off your feet, you can get dragged down by the weight of your gear, hit rocks in the water or succumb to hypothermia.When you encounter a stream, first toss a stick into the current ; if it moves faster than a walking pace, don’t cross. If the tide seems safe, en-ter at a straight, wide section of water and unhitch your backpack’s waist and sternum fasteners before cross-ing; a wet pack can pull you under.

5. DON’T SHAKE SNACK MACHINES.
Vending machines caused 37 deaths between 1978 and 1995 in the U.S., crushing customers who rocked and toppled dispensers. A word to the wise: don’t risk your life for a bag of chips. 

6. USE GENERATORS SAFELY.
After last year ’s ice storm, numerous Toronto homeowners who’d lost power left portable generators running overnight near their homes, allowing odourless carbon monoxide to waft inside. The gas induces dizziness, headaches and nausea, but “when people go to sleep, there’s no chance for them to realize something’s wrong,” says Brett Brenner, president of Electrical Safety Foundation International. In the U.S., carbon monoxide from consumer products, including portable generators, claims up to 170 lives a year; during the 2013 ice storm, a reported five Torontonians died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Breathe easy by keeping generators more than six metres from your house and installing a carbon monoxide detector.

7. CLIMB LADDERS CAREFULLY.
A decade ago, approximately 1,500 Canadian deaths were a result of falls from ladders and scaffolding. One of the biggest mistakes? Carrying something while climbing the rungs. 

8. STAY ON THE DOCK.
On May 20, 2013, Kyle McGonigle was on a dock on Kentucky’s Rough River Lake. A dog swimming nearby yelped, and McGonigle saw that it was struggling to stay above water. The 36-year-old dived in to save the dog, but both he and the animal drowned, victims of electric-shock drowning (ESD). Cords plugged into an outlet on the dock and a houseboat had slipped into the water and electrified it. The number of annual deaths from ESD in World is unknown, but an-ecdotal evidence indicates that ESD is widespread. Look for outlets before diving in, and if you feel a tingle or numbness while swimming in fresh water near a marina, get out and onto dry land immediately.

9. AVOID CLIFFING OUT.
Hikers scrambling up an incline may find themselves stranded on a steep patch, unable to go up or down. Otherwise known as being “cliffed out,” this can happen when hikers take a shortcut or go exploring. If you do get trapped, don’t risk the ascent or descent. To avoid this precarious position, scout your route before you set out on your hike, tell someone where you’re going and carry a radio so you can call for help.

10. DON’T MOW HILLS SIDE TO SIDE.
Most lawn-mower-related deaths don’t involve the whirring blades. Rather, they result from riding mowers toppling over and crushing the driver. To escape that fate, mow a hill up and down, not side to side.