Most disastrous freak accidents of 2024: 7 times everyday fun turned fatal

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Skydiver plunges to death after both parachutes fail, dramatic video shows

Terrifying video shows the moment a professional skydiver plunged to her death after both parachutes fail. (Credit: Jam Press)

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From a prank gone horribly wrong to a sudden electrocution in a swimming pool, numerous freak accidents captured the nation’s attention in 2024.

Hearing about a freak accident, an incident that is very unlikely to occur again, transfixes audiences and leaves them wondering how it happened.

Here is Fox News Digital’s list of the most disastrous freak accidents in 2024.

MULTIPLE PEOPLE ELECTROCUTED IN ‘FREAK ACCIDENT’ WHILE ENJOYING SWIM IN POOL: POLICE

Four hamburgers in a hot frying pan. (iStock)

Separating frozen hamburger patties turns deadly

Anyone tasked with cooking frozen burgers probably knows that the most challenging part of the preparation is separating the rock-hard patties from each other.

For Barry Griffiths, 57, the task turned deadly after he accidently stabbed himself with a blade while attempting to separate the frozen patties.

Griffiths, a Welsh resident, had been trying to separate the frozen burgers with a knife when he stabbed himself in the stomach. Authorities said Griffiths had reduced mobility in one of his arms following a stroke, which likely led to the freak accident.

To read the whole story, click here.

Halloween prank ends in disaster in Tennessee

In Tennessee, a Halloween prank went horribly wrong when a 12-year-old boy attempted to harmlessly scare other children on a hayride.

According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), a group of children were behind some bushes trying to scare some hay riders when one of the boys was unexpectedly run over by the tractor.

The boy, police said, had possibly slipped and fallen underneath the wheels during the freak accident.

“Deputies were told that one of the juveniles had attempted to jump on the trailer and had possibly slipped and fallen underneath the wheels and was found unresponsive.

To read the whole story, click here.

Skydiver Carolina Muñoz Kennedy, left, and video of her fatal dive, right. (Jam Press)

Skydiver plunges to death – after parachute fails

Carolina Muñoz Kennedy, 40, a professional skydiver from Chile, was making the dive in Boituva, Brazil, in October 2024 when she got into difficulty with her parachutes, according to news outlet Diario AS.

Her main parachute malfunctioned and the reserve one then opened with the lines twisted, according to Jam Press.

Video shows the skydiver caught in a deadly spin and rapidly spiraling in the air before she then appears to get her parachute under control. But she then changes direction and crashes behind several trees. 

TODDLER KILLED IN OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, TRAM CRASH WHILE CROSSING BOARDWALK

The Federal Aviation Administration says there are around 30 to 40 fatalities among skydivers each year in the United States. 

To read the whole story, click here.

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  A New Jersey family is mourning after their 12-year-old son, Lucas Schwartz, was killed when a tree fell on him.  (Meal Train® for Ronie and Melissa Schwartz)

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  Lucas Schwartz, 12, died when a tree feel on him in a Mercer County, New Jersey, backyard on Oct. 14, 2024. (Ronie Schwartz Facebook)

Boy killed when tree falls on him during backyard play

When Lucas Schwartz went outside to enjoy the fresh air, his playtime was interrupted when a tree fell on him, instantly killing the 12-year-old.

The Schwartz family from Lawrence Township, New Jersey, mourned their son’s death when he died from the freak accident in October.

Investigators determined Schwartz was playing with a friend in his backyard when the tree was blown over by gusty winds, striking him and causing fatal injuries.

Police said they are actively investigating the incident.  

To read the whole story, click here.

Police officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of High Street around 2:35 p.m. in Logansport, Indiana, in August 2024. (Google Maps)

Five swimmers electrocuted while swimming in pool

Five people – three juveniles and two adults – were cooling off in their backyard pool in Indiana when they were electrocuted.

SECOND BODY FOUND IN MARYLAND HOUSE EXPLOSION, 12 FAMILIES DISPLACED IN AFTERMATH

A spokesperson for the Logansport Police Department described the incident to Indianapolis’ FOX 59 as a “freak accident.” 

Police determined that a wire on a pool pump had been pinched, causing a protective cover to break. The exposed wire made contact with the pool water and shocked the five swimmers, according to the station. 

To read the whole story, click here.

Bryce Canyon National Park ranger Tom Lorig died after he tripped and fell during Astronomy Festival on June 7. (National Park Service)

Park ranger dies after falling onto rock at Bryce Canyon National Park

The National Park Service (NPS) said 78-year-old Park Ranger Tom Lorig was working with visitors at Bryce Canyon’s annual Astronomy Festival in Utah in June when he fell and hit his head on a rock.

During the fall, he hit his head on a large rock. Authorities said he was found unresponsive.

NPS said Lorig worked as a registered nurse in the Seattle area for 40 years. He also worked as a permanent, seasonal and volunteer park ranger for more than 10 years.

To read the whole story, click here.

The woman who died in a Derby propeller accident has been identified by her family as 37-year-old Amanda Gallagher. (KAKE News/Cook Airfield – K50)

Woman killed after backing into active airplane propeller

Amanda Gallagher was taking pictures when she backed into a plane propeller in Kansas in October. Just before 3 p.m. that day, the Sedgwick County dispatch received a report about an accident at Cook Airfield in Derby, KAKE News first reported.

When deputies arrived, they located Gallagher, who had been critically injured while taking photos of people getting on and off of planes when she backed into an active airplane propeller, the outlet reported. 

The woman was transported to a hospital in extremely critical condition, KAKE reported, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

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“Amanda Gallagher was kind, adventurous, creative and beautiful inside and out. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend and will be greatly missed,” a statement on a GoFundMe page read.

To read the whole story, click here.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz, Stepheny Price, Andrea Margolis and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.