Death Takes A Holiday - Part 2
Sometimes the happiest places on earth… aren’t
If you’ve read Death Takes A Holiday - Part 1, you’ll know it’s no secret that people don’t always survive their vacations. You’ll also know how their bodies are shipped back home, and the hoops mortuaries have to jump through to accomplish the work.
We covered some basic scenarios, but I know what you’re thinking. You’re all dying to hear about some of the more unusual cases!
If you can think of place, chances are someone has died there. Let’s talk about bodies on airplanes (passengers, not cargo this time), on cruise ships, in hotel rooms, and at not so amusing amusement parks.
Flying The Unfriendly Skies
People die on airplanes, and not just when they crash.
Fortunately, it doesn’t happen very often. It’s difficult to find actual statistics that aren’t crash related, but experienced flight attendants sometimes only witness one or so during their career. It’s more likely that someone goes into labor than die mid-flight.
When someone experiences a medical emergency on an airplane, certain protocol is followed. Crew members have basic training (like CPR), and there are some medical supplies on board (first aid kit, portable oxygen, and AED defibrillator). Those are given to nurse or doctor passengers who step up to help.
Some airline policies state that resuscitation must be attempted for 30 minutes before crew members can stop trying. Under no circumstance can the crew pronounce a death. They are not qualified. During that time, the captain evaluates the situation and decides whether the flight should be diverted or continue to its destination.
Certain factors must be taken into account: could the person be saved with lifesaving treatments on the ground? Is there an appropriate airport to land at nearby, or is the plane more than halfway to a destination across the ocean? Are people on board freaking out too much? Could this person have been murdered, or died from something that could be a threat to the health or safety of others?
If the passenger doesn’t respond after 30 minutes, and the plane is not diverted, the body must be treated carefully. When possible, the body is moved to the back row window seat, or the whole back row if it’s available. This is for privacy, sensitivity, and for practical reasons. If an emergency landing situation arose, you wouldn’t want a body blocking the row or an emergency exit. The body is definitely not supposed to be placed in the galley or lavatory.
The body is seatbelted into place (turbulence!) and covered with a blanket. Care must be taken to calm and reassure the deceased’s traveling companions and other passengers. This can become a problem on full flights, especially when no one wants to switch seats or sit next to a dead person. If no one volunteers to sit next to the body, they can only be asked nicely and be bribed with free drinks. They can’t really be forced into moving. Awkward!
When the plane finally lands, the appropriate authorities will be standing by on the ground. If the person is just mostly dead, they’ll be whisked away to a hospital before being officially pronounced dead. If a person is all the way dead (either there was a doctor on board to pronounce death or maybe the body is exhibiting obvious signs like rigor mortis), then there’s less urgency. Perhaps the other passengers will deplane first, then the body can be removed without an audience. It’ll be taken either to a hospital or local medical examiner/coroner for further investigation and refrigeration while the family makes arrangements.
That’s it for airplanes. Next up: cruises!
Sail Into The Sunset
For some, going on a cruise is a dream vacation. For others, it turns out to be a nightmare.
I’ve found conflicting numbers about how many deaths occur on cruise ships each year. One low figure showed about 33 deaths per year, while other sources claim up to 3 deaths per week or even 200 per year! Either way, it’s a negligible amount of the 30 million people who cruised during 2019.
Unless you’re one of them.
How are people dying on cruises? The International Journal of Travel Medicine & Global Health did a study on Passenger and Crew Mortality on Cruise Ships. It covered 78 cruise lines over the span of 2000-2019. Their entire total for that time frame was 623 deaths.
I hope you like numbers, because I’m going to break this down.
623 deaths = 557 passengers, 66 crew (89% and 11%)
340-ish were passengers from the USA (61% of passengers)
Regarding passenger deaths:
87% onboard, 13% onshore (port excursions)
23% injury trauma (falls overboard, falls to lower decks)
19% homicide, suicide, and terror attack
18% unspecified natural causes
16% cardiac related incidents
5% preexisting conditions (late stage cancer)
Alcohol was an identified contributing factor in 52% of the falls
For your morbidly curious people, here’s ALL the details:
The original table can be seen here, in case you desperately want a clearer version!
Does this guy look like he has time for your fatal misadventure?
Here we are again: what happens to someone who dies on a cruise ship?
First of all, there are real medical personnel on board with decent medical equipment. They can totally pronounce a death, unlike airline crew members. All ocean going ships are required to carry body bags and maintain a morgue. The morgue must be separate from the food storage areas, and usually accommodates 3-6 bodies. They’re stainless steel refrigerated rooms with individual compartments. Sometimes fresh flowers are stored there when it’s empty.
The body is transported as discreetly as possible to the morgue. Don’t want to ruin everyone else’s good time, right? It’ll stay there until the ship returns to port. They don’t necessarily kick the body off the boat at that point, since some islands are too small to deal with it. Port Authorities are notified, and they have the right to require offloading and examination. A local death certificate can be issued. If this port is far away from home, the body must be repatriated (flown home) as we discussed in Part 1. If the ship is fairly close to home, the body can remain in the morgue for up to a week or so.
The cruise line provides a crew member from their Guest Care Team to basically hold the bereaved family’s hand for the remainder of their journey. They help coordinate with mortuaries, make alternative travel arrangements for the family, deal with insurance, even drive them to a hotel if they choose to leave the cruise early.
Unfortunately, the cruise lines (like the consulates) do not pay for the family’s sudden financial burdens. This is one of those times when the optional travel insurance really helps. Repatriation is expensive, especially when you think about the additional costs the family incurs if they leave the ship, stay in a hotel, and fly home.
Tl;dr they don’t throw you overboard for burial at sea.
What happens in Vegas…
…can be shipped home in a casket
This whole Death Takes A Holiday post was prompted by my recent stay in fabulous Las Vegas. Apparently unable to turn off that part of my brain, I started thinking about the tourists that die in Las Vegas. I wondered about hotel rooms too.
Las Vegas welcomes 40 million visitors each year. About 1100 of them die there. Most of those are from natural causes.
Of the unnatural deaths,
67% are accidental (including overdoses, car crashes)
15% are suicides
11% are homicides
6% are undetermined
Las Vegas suffers from one of the highest suicide rates in the country, more than one a day in Clark County. It’s more than their car crashes and homicides combined. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, in a city that thrives on destructive habits. People succumb to substance and gambling addictions by way of suicide.
Hey, a vacancy just opened up!
Everyone avoids thinking too deeply about what happens in hotel rooms. Besides the obvious gross things, people occasionally die there. Some die naturally. Others overdose, are murdered, or die by suicide. No matter the cause, there can be varying amounts of bio hazardous material present.
When a dead body is discovered in a hotel room (often by the unfortunate housekeeping staff), they’ll call for help. A questionably dead person might be able to be removed by paramedics and pronounced at a hospital. An obviously dead person ought to be reported to the coroner/medical examiner. The room needs to be kept secure until the investigation shows that it wasn’t a suspicious death.
Ideally, the body is removed inconspicuously via back corridors and service elevators. It’s not just to preserve the hotel’s reputation, but also out of respect for the deceased and the well being of other guests. Once the body has left, clean up begins.
We’re gonna need more bleach
For non-messy situations (like if they died sleeping), the regular housekeeping staff can just do their regular thing. A soiled bed is a soiled bed. Either change the sheets or replace the mattress. Not all natural deaths are clean though, and some of the homicides and suicides can be enormously messy. If the mess is substantial, professionals are called in. You’ve probably heard about crime scene clean up people.
The cleaners evaluate the bio hazard contamination and other damage (did a bullet go through a window or a wall?). Carpet is pulled up, and sections of drywall removed. Furniture is replaced. Everything that’s left is scrubbed and disinfected. No trace of blood or brains should be present (check the ceiling!). The cleaners of high end establishments remove the contaminated materials discreetly, concealing the contents in black trash bags. Those bags can be placed inside bright red bio hazard bags once they get back to their vehicle.
After the room is spotlessly cleaned and refurbished, it can be entered back into inventory for the next unsuspecting guest. Some rooms, however, become so infamous that the hotels “retire” them. Dark tourism is a thing, and classy establishments prefer not to be associated with it. Room 434 at the Beverly Hilton became unavailable for some time after the death of Whitney Houston. It has since been emptied and completely remodeled. Anna Nicole Smith’s room was similarly remodeled, and the room number was changed.
Note: many people deliberately opt to stay in a hotel while carrying out their suicide plans. Sometimes it’s out of a misguided effort to avoid being found by family (and instead traumatize a stranger) or to avoid making a mess at home (surprise, your family will still get stuck with a massive cleaning bill). Other folks are in the hotel due to a personal upheaval in their life, like divorce or job loss.
Regardless, if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential.
See You Real Soon!
You’ve read this far. You must really want to read about Disneyland! So, is it true that no one technically dies at the happiest place on earth?!
Nope. People die there.
But don’t they get removed from the property before being pronounced, so they can avoid dying at Disneyland?!
Yes and no. Disneyland does have medical staff, but they’re no substitute for a hospital. If someone suffers a medical emergency, it’s in everyone’s best interest to get them to an actual hospital ASAP. In some places, paramedics can’t stop lifesaving efforts once started until they have transported to a medical facility. Once they arrive at the hospital, the lifesaving efforts can stop and a doctor can officially pronounce the death. The urgency in leaving the Disney property has more to do with possibly saving a life rather than the location listed on the death certificate.
In the age of smartphones and social media, there’s no way to realistically cover up incidents at Disneyland. They’ve legally had to report every incident there since 2001. If you want a long list of injuries and the dozen or so deaths that have occurred there, look no further than here. Most of these incidents resulted from guest stupidity, but there are also instances of ride malfunctions, operator error, and plain freak accidents.
Are you worried about dying at theme parks now? You shouldn’t be. You’ve got a significantly higher chance of developing diarrhea after eating overpriced concession food. In fact, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning (1 in 700,000) than even being injured at a theme park (1 in 16 million). Deaths are even more rare, but boy are they sensational. Here’s a short list of some of the awful things that have happened over the years, including a decapitation by a water slide, an overturned river raft, being thrown from a roller coaster, getting scalped by ride machinery, and having feet severed by a cord. Yikes.
Moving right along! Let’s pretend that didn’t happen.
Rather than fearing theme parks, most people adore them. Some die hard (haha) fans go to the next level and commit their mortal remains there forever.
Room for one more!
Cremated remains: are you allowed to scatter them at Disneyland? No.
Do people do it anyways? Yes.
About once a month, custodians are radioed for a HEPA cleanup. Someone has been caught scattering cremated remains! The ride gets shut down for “technical difficulties,” and staff surreptitiously sucks up the illicit dead person with a special vacuum. If the scatterer is identified, they are escorted off the property.
Disneyland is private property, which requires permission for scattering. In the absence of their permission, it’s actually a misdemeanor violation of the California Health & Safety Code. Disney’s policy is that scattering of cremated remains is not permitted and not tolerated.
But.
It’s nearly impossible to enforce. Savvy guests still smuggle in small portions of their loved ones. Popular choices include prescription pill bottles, makeup compacts, and plastic baggies at the bottom of a backpack. It’s estimated that remains are scattered the most frequently in the Haunted Mansion (well, obviously!), Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World (scatter me there, and I’ll haunt you forever), and over the multitude of flowerbeds around the park.
It’s a nice thought, but rides are deep cleaned so often that any cremated remains will likely be swept up and disposed of. Keep grandma safe at home, and not in the garbage!
We’ve been all around the world, and now it’s time to ship ourselves home. The next time you travel, make sure to carry your next of kin’s contact info
…and maybe spring for that travel insurance!