Who doesn’t hate those vending machines?
They are filled with fattening “nutritional” snacks. They eat up all your change. When you select A1 it gives you D5. And finally, when the tasty snack gets stuck, you want to nail the machine with a baseball bat. Just don’t rock it, it could tip over and perhaps kill you.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported at least 37 deaths and 113 injuries since 1978 caused by tilting and rocking vending machines. That’s more fatalities than from shark attacks. Perhaps Steven Spielberg’s next blockbuster should be about ferocious snack machines, as they seem more harmful than sharks.
At approximately 1,000 pounds, a loaded soda machine might not exactly be a Great White shark, but it’s still deadly. A 100-pound sand bag lodged inside the machine supposedly keeps it anchored. Alas, if tilted 30 degrees the machine will fall, and unless you’re a professional weightlifter or on steroids, chances are you’ll get crushed.
Ryan Goatz, an East Tennessee State University student, had the misfortune of wrestling with a snack machine. With the beast refusing to let go of his already paid snack, Goatz decided to wrestle with it a bit.
Unfortunately he went a little too far, and the beast savagely jumped on him. Goatz was pinned down against the wall for more than 15 minutes before somebody came to his rescue.
The beast was finally down but not without a fight.
“It’s the last time I ever mess with vending machines,” he said. “Man, I never knew those suckers were so heavy!”
In an effort to prevent further injuries, a few companies have put labels on their machines warning customers of the risks of tilting or rocking them. Unfortunately, when have labels ever stopped people from acting irrationally?
Some companies have installed anti-theft levers in their machines claiming it will prevent individuals from rocking the machine and perhaps save their lives. It sounds like they are more worried about their precious products than anything.
Bolting the machines to the ground would be a much safer alternative.
Goatz might have been lucky, but vending machines have still claimed the lives of 37 people. True, rocking a 1,000-pound machine is certainly not smart, but the fact is that companies are not taking any steps forward to prevent further accidents.
So next time you go buy a delicious snack, tell yourself that you’d be much safer swimming in the ocean.