10 Craziest Halloween Accidents Ever
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining the worst accidents that have occurred around Halloween or involved Halloween festivities.
A Blade in the Candy
Everyone knows the myth of razor blades being hidden in Halloween candy. Well, turns out it’s not such a myth after all. Back in 2019, a 10-year-old girl from Vancouver, Washington bit into a Hershey bar she had acquired while trick or treating and injured herself on an embedded razor blade. Luckily, the cut was not serious, and she was quickly treated and released from Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland. Unfortunately, police had no idea where the razor came from, and it’s unclear if the packaging had been tampered with, as the girl had ripped it before an investigation could occur.
The Parents of Four Children Die in a Car Accident
It was Halloween night, and Crystal and Donald Howard were getting their four children ready for the fun night out. They ran out of face paint while doing the costumes, and both decided to head to a nearby store to get some more while the children prepared at home. Unfortunately, they lost control of the car on the wet road and crashed into a ditch. Both died in the accident. When a trooper arrived at the house, he found all four kids patiently waiting for their parents in their Halloween costumes, ready to go trick or treating.
Various Hayride Accidents
Haunted hayrides are a popular pastime in the Halloween season, but they can be awfully dangerous. One accident befell Brian Jewell, who pretended to hang himself along the path of one such ride. While the stunt had gone off flawlessly many times before, he was accidentally killed in October of 1990 when the noose tightened for real. The driver of the hayride realized something had happened when Jewell did not perform a rehearsed speech while the tractor passed by. Some years later, in October 2001, Caleb Rebh was working at Michigan’s Alpine Ridge Farms when he jumped from a tree and tragically died in front of passing customers.
A Train Hits an SUV
Vandalia, Illinois was hosting its annual Halloween parade on October 30, 2014, and 35-year-old Crystal Anna was taking her four children. But just one block away from the site of the parade, Anna accidentally drove the family’s SUV onto some train tracks, and they were subsequently hit by a passing locomotive. Anna died in the accident, as did three of the four passengers. According to locals, the tracks are laid out in a confusing manner, and court documents indicate that Anna was already stuck on them when the crossing arms came down. Anna’s husband sued for wrongful death and failure to inspect an unsafe crossing system.
Prank Gone Wrong
Halloween is certainly a good time for pranks, but sometimes these pranks go horribly wrong. In 2013, Kentucky teenager Jordan Morlan was decorating his house for Halloween and performing various pranks on his family. That’s why, when Jordan’s sister came into the house claiming that he was unresponsive, his mother didn’t believe her. She was finally convinced that something had gone horribly wrong and rushed outside, where she found Jordan unconscious. Moments earlier, the teen had tried scaring his sister by putting his head inside a prop noose that was dangling from a tree. Unfortunately, the prank turned all too real. Jordan was placed on life support but tragically passed away from organ failure.
The Mississippi Hayride Crash
It was 7:45 on Halloween night, 2016, when Kristina Shaver and her two children were embarking on a fun ride in rural Mississippi. A Jeep Wrangler was towing a flat-bed trailer with ten occupants down Highway 80 when the trailer was hit by a Ford F-150. The results were devastating. All three members of the Shaver family were killed, and the seven other riders were left horribly injured, with each being taken to local hospitals in critical condition. According to locals, this type of trailer-towing is common on Halloween as a means to transport children between rural houses. Unfortunately, poor visibility and dark roads resulted in a terrible accident.
Halloween Horror Nights 1986
Back in October of 1986, Universal Studios Hollywood decided to try something new and put on an event called Halloween Horror Nights. The decision was made in order to boost business, which tended to lag in the fall season when children were back in school. The famous Universal Backlot Tour was turned into The Terror Tram, which ran at night and featured numerous scare actors jumping out at riders. But on Halloween night, a scare actor named Paul Rebalde fell between two of the tram cars and was tragically crushed to death. The event was immediately discontinued and remained as such until Universal Orlando rebooted it in 1991 under the name “Fright Nights.”
The Romanian Nightclub Fire
Between 300 and 500 people crammed into the Romanian nightclub Colectiv on the night of October 30, 2015 to watch a free concert put on by the metal band Goodbye to Gravity. During the performance, the band’s pyrotechnics ignited the club’s acoustic foam, resulting in a very quick and very destructive fire. Hundreds of people stormed to the club’s only exit, resulting in a stampede and a crush that trapped concert-goers indoors. To make matters worse, the ceiling also collapsed owing to the burning pillars. In the end, 64 people were killed and a further 146 were injured. The club’s owners were subsequently arrested and charged with negligent homicide.
The Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum Explosion
Holiday on Ice is a very popular and beloved ice show, and on Halloween night, 1963, over 4,000 people crammed into Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum to watch. Found directly underneath the grandstands was a storage area filled with tanks of liquid petroleum gas. One of the tanks was leaking, and the gas came into contact with a heating element, resulting in a huge explosion that tore through the stands above. The remaining tanks then blew while survivors were evacuating, causing even more destruction. Luckily, more police officers than usual were employed that night for Halloween, and they were able to respond in a timely manner and prevent a higher death toll. Regardless, the explosions killed 81 and injured approximately 400.
The Seoul Crowd Crush
Roughly 100,000 people crowded the Itaewon region of Seoul on October 29, 2022 to celebrate local Halloween festivities. Unfortunately, the event was horribly planned, and police did not respond with enough officers - or even a proposal for safe crowd control. Unfortunately, the huge number of people and cramped conditions resulted in a deadly crush that occurred around 6:30 pm local time. The crush went on for hours and was even attended to by United States Forces Korea and the US Army. 159 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured, resulting in widespread criticisms of the local police force and even some protests demanding the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Do you have any local stories you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!
