Have you witnessed a death up close?

[Stir]

Seen lots of people die up close.
How do you deal with it? It depends on the situation. A peaceful death is something beautiful... You can hold their hand, reassure them. Make sure they understand that there's nothing to worry about if they're conscious, or just stand there and be there for the people saying goodbye if they're not. There's a dark moment as they pass; a strange mix of relief and grief, and then... It is over. You can be at ease about it, in a way.

Violent deaths are difficult, whether through actual violence, or through pain and spasm. I've never been present at a human death caused by intentional violence, such as that of a soldier or fighter, but I'm quite sure the experience is rather different than a violent death caused by an accident. Violent deaths (even caused by accidents) can leave quite a mark. There's the yelling, the roaring, the sobs, the screaming and the pleading, the scent of scat and blood... And there's nothing you can feasibly do while you wait for the drugs to kick in.

[Mancowski]

The hardest part is seeing the face, keep that covered and you will be fine, it is just a sack of meat.

This right here... I found my mother face down. In panic because she wouldn't respond, i pulled her up. and Her face/eyes still get me to this day. I wish that i had never found her. But i'm glad i found her before my brother had.

I found her on Septemper 17th, in 2011. and i still see her fresh in my mind. It will fade eventually, I don't dwell on it. But when something reminds me of her, i see that face. Sometimes.

[Blood Fox]

This right here... I found my mother face down. In panic because she wouldn't respond, i pulled her up. and Her face/eyes still get me to this day. I wish that i had never found her. But i'm glad i found her before my brother had.

I found her on Septemper 17th, in 2011. and i still see her fresh in my mind. It will fade eventually, I don't dwell on it. But when something reminds me of her, i see that face. Sometimes.

That face will "haunt" you the rest of your life, maybe not in a menacing way, but I promise you you'll never forget that face.

[Sylore]

I personally have seen two deaths. The best way to get over in my opinion is to just accept that death is a part of life, and while they may leave this earth now, they will still be on this earth through memories and the impact they had.

[Deleted]

The first and only time I saw someone die up close was during a kids vs. parents soccer game. It was at my swimming teams summer party that a very overweight father collapsed during our soccer game and eventually died due to a heart attack, despite over an hours attempt at CPR. The fact that this man died wasn't that shocking, nor did it really bother me too much. But seeing his 9 year old daughter watch her father die was truly heartbreaking. It was absolutely fucking horrible trying to comfort this child while others were pounding her fathers chest trying to revive him. I don't think I will ever forget the look on her eyes when she realised her father had died.

[Zoma]

I've never seen someone die, but I have seen a recently dead body.

Several years ago a garbage truck passed underneath a pedestrian overpass with the container tilted up. The container hit the overpass and knocked it off its supports and onto the cabin of the garbage truck, crushing the driver. I was in my house at the time and both heard and felt the overpass collapse (though I didn't know what it was at the time). I left the house to see what had happened. Due to the condition of the cabin, you couldn't even tell it was a person in the cabin if not for the bright safety vest visible through the door frame (the door had fallen off).

I don't think it had any notable impact on me.

[Eraa]

When I was 4 I found a woman on the street with her throat slit ear to ear. I found out later that it was done by her boyfriend because she sold his stereo for drug money. It never really affected me because I was too young to realize what had happened, but it's an interesting story to tell people.

[Syio]

Honestly I never want to see a loved one die. I'd really rather die myself in place of them. : | It's dumb, but at that point you'd be cursing the !@#$ of whatever higher beings up there wondering why they didn't have you offed too.

[Celista]

When I was 4 I found a woman on the street with her throat slit ear to ear. I found out later that it was done by her boyfriend because she sold his stereo for drug money. It never really affected me because I was too young to realize what had happened, but it's an interesting story to tell people.

Good lord there have been some violent deaths in this thread...>.<

[Theinquisition]

Lost some good friends while deployed. don't wanna talk to much about it.

[Catta]

The hardest part is seeing the face, keep that covered and you will be fine, it is just a sack of meat.

But its hard to keep it covered when other people are there and you are just observing like the rest of them.

[Krawu]

My dad died of a heart attack, I was the one trying to reanimate him for 10 min. before the ambulance arrived. Other than that though no, not seen any dead people so far.

[Cybbelajlaj]

I do BGs every day..

[RaoBurning]

My great grandfather passed away Christmas before last - peacefully, in his sleep. So did a whole mess of other people in a wholly unrelated car wreck, and as such the coroners were quite busy. Nobody came to get him for several hours, so there he was, just chillin' in the house with us. It was...strange. It's still a little strange. I was always cautious about being gone too long - just to make sure somebody was home with him - and now I don't have to do that. I would stop and listen every few minutes to make sure he was still doing, well, whatever he happened to be doing.

But no more. It's disconcerting. No clack of his wheelchair rolling over tile, no tiny knocks on my door to see if I was home to do him a quick favor - make him lunch, empty his trash, whatever.

Nearly saw somebody get killed a few yards from me. Fellow motorcyclist going through a yellow light - well within a reasonable time frame, not driving like an asshole - and a truck coming the opposite way turned in front of him and t-boned him JUST RIGHT so that he spun in the air before he hit the ground. No helmet, of course. Would have limped away had he been wearing one. Worse yet, he worked (works? I'm sure he's still alive) at the bike shop I had just left. I stopped and called an ambulance, of course. Seeing him lay there with his skull protruding from his forehead but still being conscious enough to realize he was laying on hot asphalt (Arizona Summer FTW) and feel the burn was all too, what's the word, horrifying.

Paramedics took my backpack, too. Still haven't gotten the thing back. It had an insulated bottom and everything!

[Deleted]

But its hard to keep it covered when other people are there and you are just observing like the rest of them.

The examiner may keep it covered for the first few times until you actually NEED to see whats under there, thats what happened with me at least. Then you get to watch them peel his/her scalp over their face to get to the skull.......

[smelltheglove]

never the actual death of a human. had to put a couple of dogs down, was sad as hell. saw a pig killed for a pig roast (btw, shooting them in the head isnt the end of it. they convulse violently for quite a while). saw a dead guy on the slab before he was prepped for viewing.

ive known a few people that died in unusual or grisly fashion, but didnt witness it (glad i didnt)

[Catta]

The examiner may keep it covered for the first few times until you actually NEED to see whats under there, thats what happened with me at least. Then you get to watch them peel his/her scalp over their face to get to the skull.......

I hope to become a surgeon so I hope i can take it :S

[Deleted]

I hope to become a surgeon so I hope i can take it :S

You may never eat certain foods again thats for sure, my partner wont eat any meat off the bone because he can name the muscle groups and the blood vessels that run though it.

[Catta]

You may never eat certain foods again thats for sure, my partner wont eat any meat off the bone because he can name the muscle groups and the blood vessels that run though it.

Eh, i dont have that particular fear...

[Deleted]

Eh, i dont have that particular fear...

Wait until you have operated on a man leg, get home to dinner and look on your plate. You are having chicken, and it is exactly the same muscle group you operated on that day. I take great relish in eating Liver in front of my partner, especially if I know he was doing a liver transplant that day

He got me back last time though by taking my last liver out of the fridge and putting it in an organ donor box, then leaving it cold and ready to cook in the same box for me to find.