Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
I am well aware that you don’t get a choice in how you die. While I certainly don’t dwell on the idea of my own demise often, I certainly have given it enough pause to know I’d prefer not to drown, for example. To be stabbed and left to bleed to death doesn’t exactly appeal to me, either. I’m sure that most would agree with “make it quick, make it painless.”
This morning, while meandering through the news of the world, I stumbled across this article. In addition to drowning, bleeding to death or even being on fire, I think I’ll have to add this to my list of “Ways I Do Not Want to Die”:
GRANGEVILLE, Calif. - A dairy worker and his 8-year-old son died in a manure pit on the farm where they lived, authorities said Tuesday.
Luis Gutierrez, 27, and Luis Armando Gutierrez went to feed calves Saturday night and apparently stumbled upon the manure pit in the dark, investigators said.
Footsteps near the edge of the 10-foot deep pit seem to suggest one of them fell in, said Kings County Sheriff Allan McClain.
“We could see the dad seemed to be doing what he could to reach his son,” McClain said. “But this stuff ... if you step in, it sucks you in.”
When Gutierrez and his son didn’t return, family members called the dairy’s owners and the sheriff’s department for help.
Investigators found Luis Gutierrez’s stalled pickup with its hood up. They said the Gutierrezes probably got out of the truck and tried to take a shortcut home.
The dairy’s owners dredged the cement-lined holding pond that collects rainwater and manure running from the farm, and the bodies were pulled from it early Sunday, McClain said.
The 9-year-old was the oldest of four children Luis Gutierrez had with his 22-year-old wife, Maria.
The county coroner is still working on the autopsy, but investigators don’t suspect foul play. McClain said the pair may have drowned in the thick, foul-smelling sludge. It’s also possible they were overwhelmed with noxious gases emanating from the mixture.
This morning, while meandering through the news of the world, I stumbled across this article. In addition to drowning, bleeding to death or even being on fire, I think I’ll have to add this to my list of “Ways I Do Not Want to Die”:
GRANGEVILLE, Calif. - A dairy worker and his 8-year-old son died in a manure pit on the farm where they lived, authorities said Tuesday.
Luis Gutierrez, 27, and Luis Armando Gutierrez went to feed calves Saturday night and apparently stumbled upon the manure pit in the dark, investigators said.
Footsteps near the edge of the 10-foot deep pit seem to suggest one of them fell in, said Kings County Sheriff Allan McClain.
“We could see the dad seemed to be doing what he could to reach his son,” McClain said. “But this stuff ... if you step in, it sucks you in.”
When Gutierrez and his son didn’t return, family members called the dairy’s owners and the sheriff’s department for help.
Investigators found Luis Gutierrez’s stalled pickup with its hood up. They said the Gutierrezes probably got out of the truck and tried to take a shortcut home.
The dairy’s owners dredged the cement-lined holding pond that collects rainwater and manure running from the farm, and the bodies were pulled from it early Sunday, McClain said.
The 9-year-old was the oldest of four children Luis Gutierrez had with his 22-year-old wife, Maria.
The county coroner is still working on the autopsy, but investigators don’t suspect foul play. McClain said the pair may have drowned in the thick, foul-smelling sludge. It’s also possible they were overwhelmed with noxious gases emanating from the mixture.
Comments
But I have to admit, that if I was stuck in that pit with my husband for my last minutes, I would hope that the fumes got to me rather than a drowning.
And I would definitely laugh about it with St. Peter up at the gates!