August 28, 2011 : Scarf

Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 — September 14, 1927) was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life. She performed to acclaim throughout Europe.

Duncan's fondness for flowing scarves was the cause of her death in an automobile accident in Nice, France, on the night of September 14, 1927, at the age of 50. The scarf was hand-painted silk from the Russian-born artist Roman Chatov. The accident gave rise to Gertrude Stein's mordant remark that "affectations can be dangerous."

Duncan was a passenger in the Amilcar automobile of a handsome French-Italian mechanic Benoît Falchetto, whom she had nicknamed "Buggatti" (sic). Before getting into the car, she reportedly said to her friend Mary Desti and some companions, "Adieu, mes amis. Je vais à la gloire!" (Goodbye, my friends, I go in glory!). However, according to American novelist Glenway Wescott, who was in Nice at the time and visited Duncan's body in the morgue, Desti admitted that she had lied about Duncan's last words. Instead, she told Wescott, Duncan said, "Je vais à l'amour" (I am off to love). Desti considered this embarrassing, as it suggested that she and Falchetto were going to her hotel for a sexual assignation.

When Falchetto drove off, Duncan's large silk scarf, a gift from Desti, draped around her neck, became entangled around one of the vehicle's open-spoked wheels and rear axle. As The New York Times noted in its obituary: "Isadora Duncan, the American dancer, tonight met a tragic death at Nice on the Riviera. According to dispatches from Nice, Miss Duncan was hurled in an extraordinary manner from an open automobile in which she was riding and instantly killed by the force of her fall to the stone pavement."Other sources described her death as resulting from strangulation, noting that she was almost decapitated by the sudden tightening of the scarf around her neck.

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August 14, 2011 : Trash Can

An East Toledo woman died after she fell head-first into her city-issued recycling container outside of her home, likely after going to throw trash away.

According to a preliminary report, Sheila Decoster, 62, died of positional asphyxia, meaning that, because of Mrs. Decoster's position in the container, she was not able to breathe properly, said Lucas County Deputy Coroner Diane Barnett.

In her 29 years in the coroner's office, Dr. Barnett said she has never seen anything quite like it.

The couple put the two receptacles against the porch, with the wheels toward the curb, to make taking out the trash easier on Mrs. Decoster, who had back problems and, about eight months ago, had knee-replacement surgery.
 
Mrs. Decoster likely went outside to throw away a small bag of trash and, when she went to lift the lid, fell inside. Mr. Decoster said his wife had several medical issues that could have contributed, including dizzy spells and an aneurism on her brain.

Dr. Barnett said she has seen children die in similar ways -- in smaller five-gallon buckets -- but worries that the bins could be a safety hazard.

It appears that Mrs. Decoster tried to kick her way out of the 64-gallon receptacle, but was unsuccessful.

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