Are AirPods really worth dying for?
A tragic conveyor belt accident at a Georgia manufacturing plant resulted in the death of Alyssa Drinkard, a 21-year-old worker, on March 8, 2024. This happened while she was trying to retrieve the AirPods she dropped under the machine.
The Tragic Incident
The incident happened at the Club Car manufacturing facility in Evans, Georgia, a company specializing in creating golf carts, where Alyssa Drinkard was working for around a year.
It occurred around 9:45 p.m. when Drinkard was attempting to retrieve her AirPods that had fallen under a conveyor belt. She got caught in the machine’s moving parts and suffered fatal injuries despite quick actions to save her.
Fae’Zsha Smith, a coworker, witnessed the accident. At first, when Drinkard dropped her AirPods, Smith offered to help get them back later when it’s safe to do so. But Drinkard said she would just get new ones.
But, moments later, Smith saw Drinkard’s arm caught in the machinery with a severe injury and a lot of blood.
“The only thing I did see was just her arm and her Apple watch and just a lot of blood; the blood just was continuously coming.” she adds.
“I can’t tell you for the life of me what made her go under there, why she went under there. I’m not sure she heard me tell her to wait; I was going to help her. I don’t know.”
Workers immediately called for the machine to be stopped and taken apart to free Drinkard.
Although she was found not breathing, emergency responders detected a pulse before taking her to the hospital. However, she was later pronounced dead at the Doctors Hospital of Augusta.
Club Car responded to the tragedy. They expressed their deep condolences and committed to an investigation to prevent such incidents in the future.
“On Friday evening, a contract labor worker experienced a critical injury while working at our main manufacturing facility in Evans. First responders were immediately notified. We thank them for their quick response to provide medical care and transportation to the hospital where the worker unfortunately later passed away.” the company said.
“Our sincere condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends, and all impacted by this loss. We are working with authorities and the contractor in an investigation to determine the facts about what led to the incident.”
Similar Incident of Death by AirPods
The tragic event at Club Car recalls a similar incident where the quest for AirPods led to a fatal outcome.
In Sai Wan, Hong Kong, a 26-year-old man died in a distressing accident while trying to get his Apple AirPods back.
This incident happened late at night. The man was thought to be playing video games when his AirPods fell onto a canopy outside his apartment window.
While trying to retrieve them, he unfortunately leaned out too far from his fifth-floor window. Seeing this, a lot of onlookers became worried. However, The man just assured them that he wasn’t going to jump.
But, he tragically fell and suffered severe head injuries. People who saw the accident immediately called for help, and he was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital, but it was too late.
The police found the AirPods, their charging case, and a smartphone at the scene. The death was ruled accidental by the authorities, leaving a family who only learned of the tragedy when the police came knocking.