Top 10 Times Final Destination Happened in Real Life

Pool Drains

In “The Final Destination,” Hunt chases his lucky quarter into the deep end of a swimming pool, where he gets his bottom stuck against the powerful drain. With nowhere to go, the pressure gauge reaches a high enough number to suck his intestines out and regurgitate them all over the deck. There have been many true cases of swimmers being stuck against pool drains, though most end in rescue. But just two years before the film’s release, a young girl in Minneapolis sat on a powerful public pool drain and suffered a similar fate to Hunt. Though she initially survived, she would not make it through a series of surgeries. As a result of this tragedy, Congress passed legislation to ban drain covers that don’t meet anti-entrapment safety standards.

Tanning Beds

Horror films have long used tanning beds as a plot device to convey the purported dangers of vanity (or the literal danger of skin cancer). Vapid teens Ashley and Ashlyn find themselves trapped in a fiery tomb after a series of unfortunate events sets their beds ablaze. While there have been many instances of tanning beds causing major fires at salons, they’ve fortunately happened while the businesses were closed. That is, except for one case. In 2014, a woman catching a tan found herself flying too close to the sun. After hearing a spark and seeing smoke, the bed caught fire. Fortunately, the woman was not locked in like the girls in the movie—so she jumped out as the sprinkler system kicked on, and survived the calamity unharmed.

Nail Guns

After Ian is saved in “Final Destination 3,” the reaper quickly moves on by unloading a full clip of nails from a modified nail gun into the back of Erin’s head. Actual pneumatic nail guns don’t operate quite like the one in the movie, but at least 10 construction site incidents have resulted in fatalities according to OSHA databases. In 2023, a truly “Final Destination”-esque situation unfolded when a nail gun erroneously ejected two nails. One ricocheted off the other, which was sent upward through the tongue of a carpenter’s apprentice. The man miraculously survived, but a 33-year-old laborer would lose his life in a freakish workplace disaster that took place in 2013. The sequential trigger of the nail gun he was using had been swapped out for a contact one, causing him to misfire directly into his eye while holding up a wall.

Kitchen Knives

Kitchen knives are a common tool used in homicides, but have been the cause of some truly grotesque mishaps as well. In the first movie, Val reaches for a rag, which happens to be draped over a knife rack. The entire thing tumbles over, sending a blade directly into her chest. The Rube Goldberg-like scene is pretty convoluted, however not entirely unrealistic. In 2025, a boy in Australia tripped and fell backward onto an open dishwasher, landing on a steak knife. He fortunately survived the ordeal. But 4 years prior, a man carrying a plate of food up the stairs tripped and landed directly on his knife, which cut his carotid artery and caused him to bleed out.

Elevator Doors

There’s an eerie number of ways an elevator can kill you. A rapid descent, a tumble down the shaft, or being crushed while entering or exiting have all caused casualties. But there’s nothing quite as horrific as the “Final Destination 2” moment where Nora’s head is caught in between the doors and popped off. Even more terrifying, this exact scenario has actually played out multiple times. Back in 1995, a man holding an elevator open for another passenger in the Bronx was beheaded in a bizarre mishap. In 2003, a surgical resident’s shoulders were pinned by a malfunctioning door and his head was severed. Even as recently as 2019, a woman in India had her headphones tangled in a factory lift’s outer structure, leading to a grisly scene.

Escalators

Like elevators, there’s a notable sinking feeling many of us get when we step on or off an escalator. What if your shoelace gets caught? What if the entire thing collapses? In “The Final Destination” Lori gets sucked into the gears during a mall disaster. So, basically everyone’s worst nightmare come true. And this nightmare did in fact come true in 2015. A mother in Beijing noticed a hole that suddenly appeared at the top of an escalator shaft when she and her son were reaching the summit. Though she managed to shove her boy to safety, she was tragically swallowed by the machine much like Lori.

Gym Weights

It’s safe to say the stack machine featured in “Final Destination 3” doesn’t really exist. It was designed specifically to crush Lewis’ skull during an intense workout. Though this piece of engineering is fabricated, it’s clear that gym weights are still extremely dangerous. Most fatal accidents occur without spotters present or on account of improper technique. In 2017, a trainer was pinned down in his home by a weightlifting machine that toppled over. The pressure on his throat led to a fatal heart attack. In 2025, a man performing calf raises while using a Smith machine slipped, causing the plastic step beneath him to tilt and the bar above his head to crash down on his neck.

Gas Grills

A good ol’ backyard barbeque should smell like hamburgers and hot dogs, not singed flesh. At the very end of “Final Destination 2,” minor character Brian is blown to bits by a propane tank. This final twist is played off in a comedic manner, to remind our protagonists that death is still making its rounds. However, it’s no laughing matter when these types of incidents take place in real life. These detonations aren't really powerful enough to send limbs flying through the air, so we can chalk the “Final Destination” scene up to dramatic effect. With that being said, there have been a number of grill related freak accidents. At a church community event, a dangerously high amount of propane had accumulated around the burner just before a volunteer sparked it. This explosion forced the grill door to open so violently that it struck and killed the man instantly.

Aerial Lifts

Most cherry picker related deaths occur when the attendant in the bucket falls out or is struck by a passing truck. Yet, despite being planted firmly on the ground, bad boy Ian is splattered by a cherry picker towering over him in “Final Destination 3.” One year after the film’s release, this anomaly actually occurred at a construction site. The victim was working on several counterbalance valves at the base of a telescopic lift while it was in an extended position. The boom suddenly collapsed, crushing him below.

Logging Trucks

Perhaps the most universally fear-inducing moment of the franchise, the pileup in “Final Destination 2” is seared into viewers' brains. And for good reason! These types of accidents are all too common. An unsecured load of lumber toppling onto an open highway is a terrifying scenario. The movie’s log through the windshield moment has unfolded numerous times, more often as a result of a driver rear ending a timber lorry. This occurred as recently as 2024, when a man in North Carolina was fatally impaled in the abdomen as a result of the crash. A similar incident took place the same year, claiming the lives of a couple in North Dakota. So it looks like this generational trauma sadly won’t heal any time soon.


Which “Final Destination” death has made you the most terrified of an everyday thing?