The Horrifying Way A Taco Bell Sign Killed A 49-Year-Old Woman
As much as we'd all like to die peacefully in our beds when we're old with our loved ones by our side, the grim reaper's plans aren't always so graceful and understanding. There are times when one's passing arises as a result of some unfortunate and seemingly impossible happenstance that baffles people beyond words. Sometimes, it's just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; and by wrong, we mean terribly, terribly wrong.
According to Love to Know, there is really no shortage of bizarre ways to go. One woman, 49-year-old Diana Durre, met her tragic end back in 2009 after merely choosing the wrong place to park while she waited for friends to arrive for a business exchange. Had she stationed her car anywhere but beneath the massive Taco Bell sign that was cast off its hinges by violent winds, she likely would have lived another day.
The Taco Bell sign crushed her car
According to Norfolk Daily News, the inconceivable accident that took Diana Durre's life happened on Friday, April 3, 2009, in North Platte, Nebraska. Durre and her husband Mark had reportedly driven to the location in the early afternoon to meet with a couple from Wyoming. As The Lincoln Journal Star reports, the two individuals were looking to purchase a dog that the Durres had with them in the back seat of their car. They agreed to meet "right underneath the big Taco Bell sign" where they would carry out the exchange.
However, rampant winds were surging through North Platte on that particular day, and, tragically, the 75-foot sign that towered above their pick-up failed to withstand the force. Around 1 p.m., the pole upon which the sign was mounted snapped in half some 15 feet above the ground, causing the structure to fall down and smash the hood of their vehicle (via The Many Faces of Death).
Aftermath of the tragedy
Diana Durre was crushed death beneath the devastating force of the Taco Bell sign after it collided with her car. Thankfully, her husband and the dog she had with her sustained no serious injuries and managed to survive, but by the time Nancy and Doran Boston (the dog's prospective owners) arrived on the scene, it was clear that nothing could be done for her. She was announced dead by paramedics on the scene (via the Lincoln Journal Star).
The idea of a massive sign that's been reinforced by metal and bolts being toppled over by mere winds seems unthinkable, but it happened. The winds in North Platte that day had reached up to 40 miles per hour, and despite the fact that the sign had only been erected 10 years prior to the incident, it proved to be too great an elemental force, and a woman lost her life as a result (per The Many Faces of Death).