Things In West Texas You Didn’t Know Could Kill You

It may be a morbid thought, but there are actually a lot of things that can kill you in West Texas. Here are a few of the more rare ways to die.

Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)

Living in an oilfield community has certain inherent risks, one of which is a deadly gas. Though there are safety measures in place to keep such and accident from happening, it is possible to die from inhaling the gas in its concentrated form. There have been cases when someone has decided to see just what exactly is in those big oilfield tanks, and got a deep breath of the poisonous gas.

Hantavirus

From the Center for Disease Control: Infection with hantavirus can progress toHantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which can be fatal. People become infected through contact with hantavirus-infected rodents or their urine and droppings. Don’t pet the Prairie Dogs!

Lightning

With numerous golf courses, and many spring to summer time thunderstorms that pass through the area on a very regular basis, the threat of being killed by lightning is actually fairly high. The electrical discharge (averaging 30 kA for negative or 300 kA for positive lightning, and traveling at around 1×10⁸ m/s[37]) rapidly superheats the discharge channel, causing the air to expand rapidly and produce a shock wave heard as thunder. Basically, it is a butt load of voltage heading your way to try to find a way to turn your sensitive areas in to crispy critters.

Reptilian Attack

When I suggest ‘reptilian’ the first thing you night think up is lizard or snake bite. We’ll talk about the later. West texas can have a variety of dangerous amphibians  and reptiles that can do you great harm. First, the obvious: Alligators.

Yes alligators, released by some pet owner, then flushed down the drain only to eventually find their ways to Monahans Draw. Recently, an 11 and 1/2 foot alligator was captured at a stock tank where it lived comfortably for who knows how long?! There is no telling how many little piggies, calves and anything else within the range of those jaws, would have been taken. And we haven’t even brought up rattlesnakes!

Drowning in an area where there is no water.

In 1968 a plan was put forth to design a way to keep the city from being flooded: Draws will be built for drainage. But, flash floods do happen, and with the water channelled through deep narrow high-speed, high-capacity funnels, they could become a death trap.

Africanized Killer Bees.

The last way to leave this life early because of something in West Texas: Africanized Bees. The sneaky little boggers made their way in to our area after escaping their high security enclosure. Must have seen the sexy-Texy bees across the border and made a ran for it. They’ve been busy ever since they got here. There can be thousands of them in a hive and they DO NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS! Basically, if it’s moving, it’s a target and they will attack in mass without mercy. They are the bad neighbors you don’t want to have them move into your neighborhood.

Did I miss anything? Put your ideas in the comment section below.