Metal drinking straw fatally impales woman through her eye after fall

[hlthe2b]

With plastic single-use straws increasingly being replaced by reusables one thing to keep in mind...(might well want to favor reusable flexible plastic over the stiff metal type)... Heavens!

Metal drinking straw fatally impales woman through her eye after fall

Link to tweet

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/09/metal-drinking-straw-fatally-impales-woman-england/1684768001/

[alphafemale]

1. Sorry for that bit of Darwin rising.

But plastics are destroying us all.

[hlthe2b]

2. Darwin favors those who switch to reusable semi-flexible silicone...

polycarbonate or flexible plastic...

The more likely risk from stainless is a broken tooth...

[alphafemale]

3. I generally do not use straws at all.

Certainly not at a regular sit down restaurant.

I don't use straws at home. Why would I use one there.?

[hlthe2b]

14. Not if you trust their dishwashing. I've seen too many lipstick and "other" smears on glasses

and unwashed hands inexplicably handling the rims of glasses ( a good way to spread hepatitis A) so....

Darwin works both ways...

[mantis49]

25. I don't trust how waiters handle glasses, either.

I will use a straw in a restaurant for this reason. My sisters tease me about it. Maybe I should put one of the silicone ones I have in my purse to avoid disposable straws.

[alphafemale]

30. But you put their forks in your mouth?

OK.

[hlthe2b]

31. Ever work in a restaurant. No, I didn't think so or you'd know what is likely to be contaminated.

[Demovictory9]

33. I recently got the silicone straws. it's so darn THICK

[cwydro]

4. Wow, "Darwin rising?"

A 60 year old woman falls, her wife finds her dying...and you make a Darwin joke?

You seem nice.

[alphafemale]

5. And you're blaming a straw?

Really?

[cwydro]

6. Huh? Where did I blame a straw?

It’s a tragic accident. Nice try.

Your comment was insensitive at best, hateful at worst. Ugh.

Did you think you were being funny?

[rainy]

7. It was the straw.

[alphafemale]

8. Let's ban chopsticks and pencils and pens and crochet needles and crayons

And any thing else she may have been holding.

It wasn't because it was a metal straw.

Freak accidents happen.

[rainy]

34. All I was saying is that the straw was part of the freak accident

not the woman’s fault. My statement had nothing to do with banning anything

[cwydro]

11. So if this retired jockey with mobility issues had fallen and hit her head on a counter,

I guess you’d blame it on the counter?

Wtf is wrong with people here?

Everyone thinks this woman’s awful death is funny?

[hlthe2b]

18. You so miss the point. The main problem with metal straws over reusable silicone, polycarbonate

or others is fractured teeth--not unlike with the ubiquitous aluminum tumblers from the 60's---ask any dentist.

Her accident was freak and as you say, could have occurred as a result of any other sharp/hard object she fell against, but it was a metal straw, which is avoidable. Many people do use straws for any number of reasons including disabilities. Informing of a potential benefit of some reusable materials over stainless steel may annoy you, but there are those who might well benefit. You may not be making fun of the woman's sad plight but you are dismissive nonetheless. Her story wasn't posted to be a source of mockery, but rather a chance for consideration of the implications.

[cwydro]

20. It wasn't your OP I had any problem with; it was the hateful comments that others made.

So I didn’t miss any point.

I don’t give a flying fig what kind of straws anyone uses, but making fun of a woman’s death is horrid.

[hlthe2b]

22. thanks for the clarification...

[emmaverybo]

27. I found that gratuitous ugly. NT

[yardwork]

9. The article says that she suffered from mobility issues after a riding fall at age 21.

A person with her risk factors should not have been walking with a metal straw fixed in a jar.

Metal straws are a bad idea. Straws aren't needed at all.

[irisblue]

10. Some straws are needed for some people with limited mobility

I'm politely disagreeing with you. You don't want a straw, fine. My brother who has lost left sided arm mobility, he needs one.

[yardwork]

12. I see your point. There are medical reasons for needing straws.

I was mostly responding to the Darwin Award post in this thread, and disagreeing with that poster. In this case, the metal straw caused a death.

[cwydro]

13. I have metal straws in my house, in case someone wants a straw.

It was a freak accident, just like any number of things that can happen at home. I agree with you; nothing wrong with using straws.

Some of the comments on this thread are baffling. And sad.

[hlthe2b]

15. Only one person on this thread thinks it funny. The rest of us would LIKE to PREVENT such accidents

however unusual.

[JI7]

16. i wonder if the straw had a bent at the top or if it was entirely straight

i was thinking if it had a bent and was not fixed in place with the lid then it would have helped avoid what happened.

[hlthe2b]

19. I think they are designing them this way more often now, but the straight ones still

are widely sold on Amazon, for example.

[cwydro]

21. The ones I have are bent with a soft silicone covering over the sipping end.

I generally don’t walk and drink anything anyway, so I’ll take my chances.

[Ms. Toad]

23. Individuals with disabilities need straws and have been raising this precise concern

Not necessarily as to fatalities, but people with CP need (1) straws and (2) flexibility in those straws in order to (1) be able to drink and (2) avoid injury from most permanent straws.

Those same individuals may also have more need for single use straws because of diminished ability to keep straws sanitary (think trying to insert a straw brush when you have difficulty controlling your movements)- and may less likely to be able to fight off infections if the straw contains spoiled remnants of prior drinks.

As someone with more than one friend with CP, your post is insensitive, at best.

[cwydro]

36. Thank you.

You said it better than I.

[Sunlei]

17. kind of like running with a pen or scissors

[manicdem]

37. There's a difference

You can hold scissors facing down or put them in a pocket or cover the blade portion with your hand. Cups with straws have to be faced up.

[Kaleva]

24. The coroner said that the problem was that the straw was fixed in place.

"Her death has led to a coroner warning that metal drinking straws should never be used with a lid that fixes them in place, and “great care should be taken” while using them. "

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/17756360.retired-jockey-died-fell-metal-drinking-straw/

[Clash City Rocker]

26. Paper straws are the way to go

I have wondered how much one can clean the inside of a metal drinking straw anyhow. I know people use these things that resemble pipe cleaners, but I wonder how well that really works.

[csziggy]

32. Many of the stainless stell straws sold on Amazon come with a cleaner brush

So do many of the silicone straws. As you say, it's sort of like a pipe cleaner.

I got some heavy duty plastic ones when I bought my insulated cup - but they didn't come with a way to clean the inside. I'm thinking of getting some silicon straws to replace those - and will get a set with a brush to clean all of them.

[Tipperary]

28. Damn, what an awful way to go.

Very sad.

[Baitball Blogger]

29. How about reusable accordion straws?

[tenderfoot]

35. Some of the comments in response are absolutely disgusting!