Inventors Who Maybe Should’ve Read The Manual Of Their Own Invention That Ended Up Killing Them

Karel Soucek

Photo by Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Soucek was a Canadian stuntman who was best known for successfully going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel that he created. It cost him $15,000 to create the barrel and $30,000 to film him going over the Falls, so having that successful run gave him a little too much confidence.

In 1985, he would enclose himself in the barrel that he created once again, this time 180 feet above the Astrodome. He was supposed to fall into the middle of a pool but instead hit the rim. He didn’t die immediately, but while the stunt show was still going on he was pronounced dead.