Ways to die accidentally inspiration needed

Hi everyone,

I'm currently attempting to plot out a story about an insomniac musician that believes he's killed one of his bandmates but it's actually all in his head.

I want him to 'kill' one of the band members, the keyboard player (who is also his girlfriend) accidentally before a performance and during an argument. However, I can't think of any believable ways for this to happen.

I've gone back and forth on the idea of changing locations from backstage but I need the main character to be alone with her for it to work as a hallucination. I'm flexible on changing location slightly as long as they are alone. All the ways I can think for her to die are becoming elaborate.

Does anyone have any ideas on believable ways for her to accidentally be killed?

 

Oh oh, this is my bag! I'll skip over things like overdoses and mention deaths that are more likely to be looked at initially as foul play.

You'd be surprised how many die by falling down the stairs or slipping in the tub. Head injuries are no joke.

Maybe if they both got blackout drunk, the girlfriend could have jumped off a roof or something and the MC fears he pushed her.

Maybe she shoots herself in a way like Kurt Cobain where it's conceivable someone else did it, and the MC got fingerprints on the gun trying to wrestle it away.

 

Also, if the police get involved, there's going to be a bias against him during the investigation. Most murders are, sadly, committed by someone the victim knew, and domestic violence is disturbingly a common culprit. Especially since he's a man, he's gonna be getting the stink eye.

 

I agree with the head injury thing, it's very, very deadly. It'd be especially interesting for the death to be absurd so that it makes no sense to the character -- very sudden, he goes into panic mode, something like that. In real life, some deaths can be extremely creative, so don't worry about a death being too far-fetched. And even if it is, it's still a fiction.
Of course it also depends on the setting and the mood you want to give off. Slipping on something that would make a character fall on the leg of a chair, which slightly moves the table, followed with an item on the table ending up falling on the head of the victim... there's a lot of different avenues. Don't be afraid to be creative about it, don't worry too much about it being "believable" (as you put it.)
Furthermore, believable doesn't have to be tame.

 

I like this. I think would fit with the characters as well. I suppose getting them to a roof wouldn't be too difficult narratively if they were both blackout drunk or drugged and that kind of thing could happen a lot more easily in that state!

 

Ah yes, something falling onto the head of the victim from above. That's quite a good idea to play with as well and it would mean I wouldn't have to change locations.

 

Also, seeing such a gore-y affair definitely plays well with the insanity of the character.

 

I like this concept. Perhaps she was trying to kill herself (while both were drunk or high) and he was trying to stop her. It happens just as he blacks out and awakes with the weapon in his hand next to her body but forget what actually happened because of being ‘intoxicated’.

 

Argument on stage before the performance. Victim accidentally trips over a cable the character left lying there and falls into the orchestra pit, breaking his neck.

 

Here are some more examples of ways to die that can initially be seen as suspicious.

Real life examples of accidental deaths:
Falling down and smashing your head into the corner of a coffee table.
Slipping and falling on a knife that was in hand.
Tripping and slamming your head into a wall quite hard (broken neck).
Falling onto or against a sharp object.
Falling down and hitting a table, causing a heavy object to hit you in the head (might be a bit of a stretch).

 

Head on over to the Darwin Awards.

An endless stream of inspiration.

 

Guy has a glass eye. His bandmate slaps him on the back as he walks past wishing him good luck for the gig. Eye falls out and he ends up slipping on it while trying to find it and falls head first off the stage and dies.

Heys it's 1:19 am where I am its the best I got.

 

How about he comes to after pre-gig pick-me-up with only vague flashback memory of a row with his girlfriend and no explanation for the blood in his hands, that he can't remember was a drug-induced reenactment of the infamous/libellous mistreatment of the bat in rock and roll folklore? She doesn't show because she's realised he's a talentless asshole (or got hit by a bus on the way to the venue). If you throw her under the bus, then she's in the morgue and he naturally assumes the only explanation is her bloody murder. Or not. Good luck.

 

Not backstage but:

Fall off a boat (Natalie Wood). Hairdryer in bathtub (300 lb Samoan attorney). Anaphylaxis from peanut allergies or similar (every American under 10 these days it seems). Mauled by an exotic pet (rock star life FTW). Onstage prop malfunction (Michael Jackson).

 

Someone above - Room with a view - mentioned the Darwin Awards. There's one where a guy got covered in gasoline fuel and then decided to have a cigarette.... What if the two of them are falling around, they somehow get a flammable liquid on their clothing and then someone decides to have a smoke....POOF!!

 

You canwatch 1000 Ways To Die on youtube. Its comedic, but it depicts very real (and accidental/stupid) ways people have died/killed themselves.
You might find inspiration in those videos or adapt something to suit your need

 

To piggy back off the people who mentioned drugs.... Why not have your MC and the keyboardest enjoy some pot the MC got during a gig. It ends up being laced (he doesnt know) and they have some serious bad effects and start arguing. He "wakes up" and finds her unconscious and bleeding and boom! He thinks he killed her.

I say pot because its pretty unassuming. Hell, my brother was invited to his professors home to smoke pot with him and some other musicians.
Hes the one who told me "if you ever want to try it, be careful who you get it from because if its cheap it might be laced"

 

Foul play - falling down stairs, off balconies, blows to the head, strangulation, Suffocation. Try doing some research into real life accounts of manslaughter.

 

I saw this video online of dead youtubers, and the one that really got me was the one where a girl choked to death on a rice ball while on a livestream. Like people saw her die.

Probably not fitting for your story though, lol.

 

Falling down the stairs, hitting head on countertop/table when falling backwards after being pushed. Accidental electrocution. Triggering heard attack from drinking too many energy drinks(I know someone who died from this at age 18 so it does happen).

 

Stroke hit more frequently over 40, but can strike anyone at any time, aneurysm can be quick and lethal and both can hit without more than a couple seconds warning. Seemingly healthy people have been felled by heart attacks; masses of people are walking around with undetected congenital health issues- such as a weakened or enlarged heart. There’s lots of stuff to play with.

 

I like that. Gives others impression to doubt anything he tries to deny or say.

 

Maybe she would have a severe asthma attack that kills her.

 

Are you writing in first person? If so, there's an interesting challenge there in terms of adjusting the style slightly to give the reader the impression that the character is slightly out of kilter.