--- description: ER doctors share eight scary but common stories—from ignored symptoms to everyday accidents—and what you can do to avoid them. title: 8 Scary Stories ER Doctors Hear All the Time image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5efac8318d22734e/69bb1d559b9eb275503be894/8_scary_stories_doctor.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [medicine](/tag/medicine/) ## medicine Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 8 Scary Stories ER Doctors Hear All the Time  by [Angela Haupt](/author/angela-haupt/)  ## Angela Haupt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2026 2:32 PM CUT  Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: Alex P—500px/Getty Images; Andrey Aksenov—500px/Getty Images; Jose A. Bernat Bacete—Getty Images; mrs/Getty Images; rotten/Getty Images; Keep It 100/Getty Images)  by [Angela Haupt](/author/angela-haupt/)  ## Angela Haupt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2026 2:32 PM CUT Ask [emergency-room doctors](https://time.com/7307026/when-to-go-emergency-room-symptoms/ "undefined") what haunts them the most, and you might hear that it’s not just the severity of what they see—it’s the familiarity. Over and over again, they treat people for accidents that happened in seconds, symptoms that were [brushed aside for months](https://time.com/7093682/weird-endocrinology-symptoms-thyroid-diabetes-acromegaly-pituitary-glands/ "undefined"), and [risks](https://time.com/7346163/weird-symptoms-neurology-neurologists/ "undefined") that never landed on anyone’s radar. So many of the [scenarios ER doctors encounter](https://time.com/7276040/the-pitt-nicholas-cozzi-essay/ "undefined"), they say, aren’t random. They’re preventable. With that in mind, we asked four clinicians to share the cautionary tales they face again and again—stories that could prevent the rest of us from needing their care for the same situations. ## **The symptom that whispered for months** Serious diseases can creep in quietly. Often, that means ignoring symptoms like a persistent stomachache or a nagging cough—until it becomes so bothersome, the person experiencing it [lands in the ER](https://time.com/7285524/when-to-go-emergency-room-vs-urgent-care/ "undefined"). “People say, ‘It’s pretty mild. I’m not worried about it,’” says Dr. Evelyn Huang, an emergency-room physician with Orlando Health. “Days become weeks, weeks become months, and months can even become years, and by the time they're seeing me, these things have progressed so far that they’re now something dangerous.” **Read More:** [_9 Weird Symptoms Cardiologists Say You Should Never Ignore_](https://time.com/7014994/heart-attack-symptoms-cardiologist/ "undefined") In the worst-case scenario, these subtle symptoms could point to a mass growing in the stomach or a nefarious disease like [lung cancer](https://time.com/7358444/lung-cancer-screening-ct/ "undefined"). That doesn’t mean every minor issue is cause for alarm, Huang says. It’s a matter of paying attention when your baseline changes, and getting evaluated in a timely manner. “You know the symptoms you're having,” she says, “and you know what's normal.” ## **The tragic drowning** Drowning is the [leading cause of death](https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/about/index.html "undefined") in children ages 1 through 4—and one of the most preventable. Parents often describe the same scenario: “I would have been watching them, but I thought the babysitter was watching them. I thought my spouse was watching them. I thought their grandparents were watching them.” “It’s a very heartbreaking, recurrent story we hear,” says Dr. Cheyenne Falat, assistant medical director of the adult emergency department at University of Maryland Medical Center. She recommends starting swimming lessons as early as possible, so if a child gets into the water, they know how to roll onto their back and protect their airway. Environmental modifications like fences with childproof gates are essential, too. And if your kid is near any kind of water, there’s no such thing as over-communicating about who will be keeping an eye on him. ## **The household hazard hiding in plain sight** The two household items Dr. Jeff Yoo loathes the most are laundry detergent pods and dishwashing pods. Both are highly alkaline, with a pH above 10 or 11, which means they can lead to severe injury if ingested or even improperly handled. [If swallowed](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7726599/ "undefined")—especially by children—they can burn the mouth, throat, and digestive tract, and in severe cases interfere with breathing. But ingestion isn’t the only risk. “If they get on your skin, in your eyes, or on your mucous membranes, they can cause a chemical burn,” says Yoo, an emergency physician who [posts about health care on social media](https://www.instagram.com/drjeffyoo/ "undefined"). **Read More:** [_12 Weird Symptoms Dermatologists Say You Should Never Ignore_](https://time.com/7260509/weird-dermatology-symptoms-skin-cancer/ "undefined") Another common scenario: Yoo frequently treats ER patients who tried to rip apart pods that are stuck together. “They explode, and the detergent sprays straight into the person’s eyes, and that causes a chemical burn to their eyes or their cornea,” he says. People with chemical keratitis, as it’s called, are generally treated with numbing drops and need to have their eyes flushed—sometimes for hours—until their pH returns to normal. “This can actually lead to blindness if it's not treated in a timely fashion,” Yoo says. ## **The everyday fall that sends people to the ER** Some of the most common ER visits stem from everyday tasks at home. Doctors say they regularly treat people who fall while trying to reach something high or who use equipment without proper precautions. “We see a ton of people falling off ladders,” says Dr. Jordan Wagner, an emergency physician and [creator of Doctor ER](https://www.youtube.com/doctorer "undefined"). These falls are often from just one story, but can still result in fractures, deep cuts, or head injuries. Other frequent culprits: power tools like lawn mowers or snow blowers, especially when people try to clear a jam without turning the machine off. In the moment, he says, “you’re not thinking,” and that split-second decision can lead to serious injury. ## **The hidden dangers of heat and cold** Knowledge and prevention are key to protecting yourself in both high and low temperatures. Falat commonly treats patients with [cold injuries like frostbite](https://time.com/7206129/how-to-dress-for-cold-best-winter-clothes/ "undefined") (when body tissues actually freeze) and hypothermia (a dangerous drop in core body temperature that can slow, and eventually stop, the body’s vital functions). The latter is particularly common during the bookends of winter—the fall and spring—because people don’t realize how quickly conditions can turn. “They think, ‘I won’t be at risk for hypothermia because it's a little warmer during the day,’” she says. “Then they sweat,” which can leave their clothing damp and their bodies more vulnerable once temperatures drop. “A bit later, they end up getting lost on the trail or are engaging in drug or alcohol use that clouds their judgment.” By then, their bodies may no longer be able to keep themselves warm, allowing hypothermia to set in quickly. Heat can be [just as dangerous](https://time.com/6196442/cool-down-hot-outside/ "undefined")—and misunderstood. Falat says many patients land in the ER after brushing off early warning signs. “A lot of people come in saying, ‘I had no idea—I didn’t know how to recognize these symptoms,’” she says. Heat-related illnesses exist on a spectrum, from mild dehydration to heat exhaustion and, in the most extreme cases, heat stroke, which can be deadly. The key signal that things have turned serious, she says, is when the brain is affected: “Anytime there’s any evidence of neurologic dysfunction, that’s when we get concerned for heat stroke,” which requires immediate treatment. ## **The lightning strike you didn’t see coming** There are multiple ways Falat has seen patients be harmed by lightning. Most obviously, people can be struck directly (which [is rare](https://www.cdc.gov/lightning/data-research/index.html "undefined")). But lightning can also “travel through the ground and go up toward you,” she says. “It can hit a tall object, like a tree, and then jump and affect you. It can also strike an object you’re holding—an umbrella could draw the attention of the electricity.” **Read More:** [_7 Metrics Everyone Should Know About Their Own Health_](https://time.com/7010448/health-metrics-everyone-should-know/ "undefined") Sometimes, you might detect certain signals in the environment that a lightning strike is imminent: a staticky sensation, a crackling noise in the air, or a metallic scent. “If you can just sense that something is off, immediately seek shelter,” Falat says. She’s found that people often have the opposite reaction: They whip out their phones and try to capture the moment. “The more people try to go and see what's going on, the more they’re at risk,” she says. “Don’t take out your phone. Don't record it. Just go indoors.” ## **The “consensual” choking risk** Yoo says he’s seeing more patients injured during [consensual choking during sex](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11836099/ "undefined"), which [researchers have recently described as](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-023-00373-y "undefined") "prevalent" among [young people](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1389733&pg=552&q=us "undefined") in the U.S. Recently, for example, he treated a young woman who came to the ER with neck pain, a hoarse voice, and bruising; she assured Yoo that she had wanted her partner to choke her. “I’m not judging anyone who enjoys this, but it's way more dangerous than people think,” he says. In part, that’s because there’s such little room for error. “If you apply enough pressure to cause bruising, you can easily damage the carotid artery,” Yoo says, which can lead to a stroke hours or even days later. Swelling or injury to the airway can also become life-threatening. “The margin of safety is really small,” he says. “It’s important that if you're engaging in kink, you understand the risks and that it can lead to unexpected death.” ## **The party drug with a razor-thin line** What seems like a harmless party drug can turn life-threatening. Some of the most dramatic cases Yoo has seen have been tied to [gamma-hydroxybutyric acid](https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/GHB-2020%5F0.pdf "undefined"), or GHB, a clear, odorless substance sometimes called “liquid ecstasy.” In small amounts, it can make people feel relaxed or euphoric—but the line between that and overdose is dangerously thin. “One of the scariest things about GHB is that it’s colorless, it’s tasteless, and it slips super easily into a drink,” he says. Patients often arrive at the ER unconscious and barely breathing, still dressed in their club clothes. “It’s one of the most awful sights,” Yoo says. In severe cases, some patients need to be put on a ventilator to survive. **Read More:**[_11 Symptoms Neurologists Say Never to Ignore_](https://time.com/7346163/weird-symptoms-neurology-neurologists/ "undefined") To further complicate the situation: GHB can cause people to bounce in and out of consciousness. “One minute you’re completely comatose, and the next moment you’re ripping out the breathing tube,” Yoo says. The takeaway: Never accept open drinks from strangers, and if you or someone in your group suddenly becomes unusually drowsy or unresponsive, seek medical help immediately. 8 Scary Stories ER Doctors Hear All the Time ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/er-doctors-scary-stories-preventable/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/er-doctors-scary-stories-preventable/"},"headline":"8 Scary Stories ER Doctors Hear All the Time","datePublished":"2026-03-19T14:32:41.557Z","dateModified":"2026-05-13T06:52:26.827Z","description":"These are the patient stories ER doctors hear on repeat—and what everyone can learn from them.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/er-doctors-scary-stories-preventable/","keywords":["medicine","Evergreen"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5efac8318d22734e/69bb1d559b9eb275503be894/8_scary_stories_doctor.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Haupt","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/angela-haupt/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5efac8318d22734e/69bb1d559b9eb275503be894/8_scary_stories_doctor.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"8 scary stories doctor.png","caption":"","creditText":"Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: Alex P—500px/Getty Images; Andrey Aksenov—500px/Getty Images; Jose A. 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