Each year, thousands of people
lose their lives in traffic accidents.
And what you see here are grim reminders
of those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place
at the wrong time.
The people who run these wrecking yards
make their living by selling spare parts
salvaged from vehicles,
some of which were involved in fatal crashes.
When I view these remains I can't help
but reflect on the terrible accidents that cost
the occupants of these motorized vehicles
their lives;
those bleeding to death while frantically
trying to save themselves from the twisted metal coffins;
the family that decided to take an innocent Sunday drive
that ultimately became their last.
Hello, I'm Dr. Francis B. Gross,
and I would like to invite you on yet
another journey through the Many Faces of Death.
Germany is the home of a special unit
known as the Yellow Angels.
These men patrol the autobahns throughout the country.
Each year they are responsible for saving the lives
of victims who have been injured in auto accidents.
When this man was hit by a car while riding his bicycle,
the expertise of the Yellow Angels came into play.
Their quick arrival at the scene of the accident
was responsible for saving this victim's life.
The autobahn was the brain child of Adolph Hitler.
Construction began on these roadways in the early 1930s.
The sophisticated design of these highways
set the standards for high-speed transportation
around the world.
Last year over 8,000 people lost their lives
on the autobahn.
This motorcyclist was one of those dead.
Since there is no speed limit on these roads,
the possibility of death increases greatly.
When you are traveling at speeds
in excess of 100 miles an hour,
one wrong turn can prove fatal.
Because of the advancement in transportation
of the 20th century,
most travelers are in a constant rush
to reach their destination.
By taking our machines for granted,
we can only come one step closer to death.
Our perception of speed is greatly ignored,
and the concern for our own safety is often forgotten.
If technology ever wanted to take advantage of human life,
the car is probably its best trap.
The human body is no match for the horsepower
of a powerful engine.
Unfortunately, I see no solution
to this face of death,
for as long as people drive,
people will also die.
When layers of fog roll over the autobahn,
accidents become even more prevalent.
When a nine-car accident occurred during this weather,
a truck driver, unable to see the road ahead,
crashed into these cars at 90 miles per hour.
His 38-ton truck jammed the cars into one another
and a huge fire resulted.
Those who weren't burned to death
were trapped and crushed in their vehicles.
During the year of 1980,
a major city in the United States
became an ideal setting for death.
A series of murders had taken place,
and to this day have still remained unsolved.
What can you tell me about the Slasher?
Well, this guy is really smart.
We've covered 13 murders to far,
he hasn't left us a single clue we can use.
Think we'll see any action today?
No way of telling that.
This guy is crazy, just crazy,
he's got all the people in the street
just scared shitless.
Well you two answered the call on the last victim, right?
Yeah, Nicky 13.
Are there any suspects?
None.
This guy, his MO, it's all screwed up.
Half the time he slashes his victim's throat,
and the other half the time he goes ahead
and dismembers the whole body.
I don't know,
I guess it depends on how much time he's got.
Tell me about your call on victim 13 if you will, please.
Well, we had a news crew with us that night, too.
We responded to a call from an electrical business.
We got there, we found a black male about 35,
he had his throat cut.
At least he was all in one piece.
We got another one here, same MO.
Jesus Christ.
God, it's cold out here.
God, I'd like to get my hands on that sucker.
Did you get any witnesses?
No.
Looks like he died instantly.
A homicidal maniac had killed 13 victims.
There could never be justification for murder,
but what stood out about this particular set of crimes
is that the victims were poor,
vagrant winos, who had bothered nobody
except for one man, a psychotic killer
who was seeking some kind of distorted revenge.
So the people of the city's bowery
were forced to live in a community plagued with death.
No matter how intoxicated these winos became,
they still could not forget that a murderer
was lurking in their very midst.
I'm the one that called in,
I just found my buddy,
he's dead over there in that dumpster.
Oh, shoot, where?
Over in the dumpster there.
Take a look.
Oh, shit.
There's gotta be like three or four bodies in there.
It's multiple this time.
The transient residents of this inner city
were once again reminded of their extreme exposure
to violent death.
I really can't believe it.
Honestly, I really can't believe it.
Are you scared about the Slasher?
I am afraid of this guy, the Slasher.
When was the first time you noticed he was missing?
About three days.
I haven't seen him for three days.
Did you worry, or was that--
No, no, drinking and that there you don't worry.
Um,I don't know, I just--
I just don't know where to turn.
I just hope they catch him.
Yeah, me, too, man.
It would be a good thing if they did catch him,
wouldn't have all this trouble on the streets, you know.
Yeah.
They'll catch him sooner or later.
Did he look alright
last time you saw him?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, he looked real good.
Okay.
And you haven't seen him at all in three days?
Not in three days, no.
No, not off-hand...
When is the last time you saw him?
About three days ago.
I told him not to go out drinking or anything
because that man was out there,
the one who kills everybody.
But he went out drinking anyway.
I tried to take him to detox, but he wouldn't go.
And the last thing he gave me was the dog.
And now he's gone.
How do you feel about this?
Very upset.
I hope they catch whoever did it,
and make him pay for what he did.
I told him not to go out drinking, now he's gone.
I sat around for a long time and I run the skids,
I've been in a lot of bean lines.
I had a friend who was running with me
and he took off one night,
I sent him out to get a short dog,
he never come back.
He ended up in a dumpster,
and he got cut up pretty bad.
I hope they catch the guy,
and I know I can't say nothing dirty about him,
but I wished I could.
I just hope he's proud of himself,
and when they catch him
I hope they put him in the gas chamber,
that's all I can say.
I'm scared, I'm very scared.
And I know he doesn't know where I live,
and it doesn't matter
because I've been living on the skids.
I could stay in any dumpster or any skid anywhere.
But he'll find someone, and what he does, he's sick.
He's very sick.
When the peaceful community of Castle Beach
became a stage for a series of tragic murders
of young, teenage girls,
the people of this small town were forced to live
in a constant fear of death.
The discovery of another victim soon marked
the concluding chapter of one man's killing spree.
How many do you see?
It looks like five or six.
Let me go around the other side of the body.
How long you figure she's been down here?
Well, from the look,
I would say about four days.
Well, was this girl killed in the same way?
Well, at this time we can't be sure,
but the MO appears to be the same.
Is she the same age as the other ones?
Well, she's a female Oriental,
appears to be in her early twenties.
Other than that, we have no other positive ID.
Was she beaten and stabbed like the other girls?
At this time, I can't divulge
any information regarding that.
Well, what's gonna be done about these murders?
Well, do you have any similar leads to the other murders?
Gentlemen, excuse me at this time,
there will be no further questions.
This afternoon I'm sure there will be a total
press conference answering all your questions.
It would be the last crime the psychotic killer
would ever commit.
Within a week, he would be arrested in his own apartment,
where police would discover evidence
of a most fearful nature.
But an even greater fear is death.
Until his capture, Mike Lorenzo kept the women
of Castle Beach in a perpetual state of fear.
...an arrest warrant, I went to 7321 Johnson Avenue
where I arrested the man seated at the table.
You made the arrest?
Yes, I did.
Was a search made of the defendant's person
or premises at that time?
Yes, there was.
And what did you find?
Your Honor, I object to this entire line of questioning
relating to the search
of the defendant's person or premises.
That search was in violation
of the fourth and fourteenth amendments
of the Constitution.
Counsel, you are aware that this is not the proper time
to make such objections.
You are overruled.
Proceed.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Officer, would you please tell the court
what was found during the search?
I found a videocassette and six Polaroid stills.
Your Honor, at this time I would like the videocassette
to be identified as State Exhibit A,
and the six stills to be identified
as Exhibits B through G.
So ordered.
At this time, your Honor,
I would like to show the video cassette to the Court.
You may proceed.
Mike Lorenzo ended his reign of terror
by committing suicide in the courtroom holding cell.
Taking his life by his own hand
was easier than facing society's retribution.
Sociologists are in general agreement
the dynamics of a city are highly conductive to crime.
When a person is forced to live in a world
where over-crowded sidewalks and the continual sound
of traffic prevent even a brief moment of repose,
an emotional retaliation will eventually happen.
So was the case of Lucas Washington,
an unemployed factory worker who could no longer
deal with the city in which he lived.
Equipped with an M-1 rifle,
he declared war from his apartment window
on the city of New York.
Hey, get up here.
Don't worry about it, don't worry about it.
It's all over.
Just go out in the hall.
You alright?
Yeah.
Alright.
Let's just, it's alright, don't get too shaky.
Sick people in this city.
Ma'am, can you tell us what happened?
Can you tell us what happened?
A young female hostage managed to survive
the shoot-out between Washington and the police.
Suffering extreme emotional trauma,
this innocent bystander is still under psychiatric care.
In the aftermath of this heinous crime,
she will be plagued with horrible nightmares
for months to come.
No one will ever understand the real reason
behind Lucas Washington's violent outburst.
When a man is forced to lose his pride
and sense of self respect,
revenge becomes his only alternative.
Out of feelings of insecurity and fear,
he must find a new course
to regain a feeling of importance.
If the death of others becomes a means to that end,
tragedy follows.
The people of this neighborhood in New York City
will always remember the effects Lucas Washington
had on their community.
The unassuming wilderness of Southern Florida's Everglades
is the entry port of 70 percent of all marijuana
and cocaine imported into the United States
by plane and boat.
To a visitor, the Everglades remain
an unblemished wildlife preserve,
but drug smuggling is this region's major industry.
The area is so vast that the actual chance
of capturing a drug smuggler is highly unlikely.
But when night falls, under the light of the full moon,
the increased traffic by the smugglers
affords law enforcement officers
a greater chance of success.
There they are.
Although it will be a long time before
these two men again smuggle drugs,
they represent only a minute percentage
of the drug trafficking community.
The man grove canals of southern Florida
are another heavy area of drug transport and receiving.
When a new steam accompanied park rangers
who were following a tip of an alleged drug pickup,
a real life human drama unfolded.
We are now approaching boy 28.
Hey, Dave, look, that looks like our boat over there.
This is the Florida State Ranger,
you are under arrest, stop your engine
and place your hands over your head.
Holy shit, those bastards are coming right at us.
You guys stay down and hold tight.
Central, this is Patrol 3 X-Ray Tango...
two suspects are heavily armed and have fired on our boat.
Roger Patrol 3 X-Ray Tango,
additional units have been alerted and are proceeding...
You news boys keep yourselves down.
They're slowing down.
I've got the driver covered.
Okay, okay, but keep a close eye on them.
Keep your hands in the air.
Now take your right hand and turn off your engine.
Central, this is Patrol 3 X Tango,
we have suspects in custody and are proceeding
with a search of the boat.
One suspect is wounded and possibly dead.
Advise emergency unit.
Keep your hands on top of your head.
Tango, back-up and emergency units
are proceeding to your quadrant.
After a high-speed chase,
the drug offenders were arrested.
The officers suffered no casualties,
but one of the smugglers was killed.
This particular bust resulted in one of the largest
cocaine confiscations in Florida history.
The contraband discovered on this boat
had a street value of $10 million.
In this area of the state,
about one-third of murders and deaths are drug related.
Last year, law enforcement officials
seized 3.2 million pounds of marijuana
with a street value of $1.3 billion.
The most dangerous drug of all is not cocaine,
but one manufactured right here in the United States.
It is called PCP.
My name is Dr. Steven Lerner,
I am a clinical researcher in the area of drugs of abuse.
For the last six years
my associates and I have been studying
the drug PCP.
PCP is a very dangerous drug.
PCP was originally developed by Park Davis
in the mid 1950s as a surgical anesthetic,
and because of the adverse reactions in humans,
the clinical studies were discontinued
in the mid sixties,
and the drug was taken off the market.
Since that time, we've been seeing its use illicitly,
not only in the United States,
but in foreign countries.
PCP users are often times brought to medical settings
because of adverse reactions where families, friends,
law enforcement may become involved.
Many times, in order to subdue the violent PCP user,
it may take as many as six or eight large officers.
For that reason, they may need to be restrained or medicated.
Could we have some help out here?
Get out of the way, get out of the way.
God damn, this guy is big.
Lock him in here.
Not going, not going.
God damn it, get back over here.
Leave me alone.
Get him on the gurney.
Fuckers, leave me alone...
get your hands off me...
son of a bitch, leave me alone.
Let me go.
Alright, move the stretcher.
Let me go.
Move the stretcher over there.
Fuckers.
Watch his feet, watch his feet.
Alright, now, let's hold the wrists up...
open that door.
Open that door.
Get the damn door.
Open the door.
Where are you taking me?
This is five milligrams of PCP.
Typically, PCP is smoked, primarily on leaf material.
For someone that would take one or two inhalations
on a joint laced with PCP,
the effects would come on within one to five minutes,
the drug would peak our plateau within 15 to 30 minutes,
the person would stay high for four to six hours.
And ordinarily it would take 24 to 48 hours
until the person returned to normal.
That's used one time only.
For the chronic PCP user,
the person that uses at least three days per week
for a minimum of three months,
it may take anywhere from several months to several years
until the person again returns to normal.
PCP users may exhibit altering states of consciousness
where they may appear to be alert and oriented
at one point in time,
to be seen several seconds later
where they may be combative or even violent.
Get out with this fucking camera, who are you?
Get this camera out of here.
How you doing, Willie?
Get that camera out of here, you're not taking my picture.
Now, I want you to drink this up.
I ain't taking that shit.
Now, it's good for you.
Willie, come on.
Get the fuck out of here...
I'm gonna have to calm you down, Willie.
Take the medicine. It's good for you.
Take it all the way down, all the way down.
Take some more. All the way.
Now swallow it, swallow it, Willie.
Okay.
Billy, you see what they did,
what did they do that for, Billy?
What did they do that for?
We're going to give you an injection, old man.
We're going to give you an injection...
I want your shoulder back here.
Relax.
I want your shoulder back here.
Calm down, calm down.
When this man awakens from his drug stupor,
he will once again have to face a reality
which he feared and tried to forget.
The use of drugs by the general populace
has increased dramatically in the last two decades.
When society has to numb itself against
an everyday existence,
a quest for medication becomes a subtle way
of committing suicide.
There is little doubt that when this man's fears return,
he will renew his high with an old friend, PCP...
the 'Angel of Death.'
For those who suffer from acrophobia,
the fear of heights,
the thought of parachuting out of an airplane
would be insane.
For 15 years, Bob Oster has been a stunt photographer
specializing in aerial photography.
He climbs on to the wing strut in preparation
for filming a parachuting competition.
The pilot holds the plane steady until he's in position.
The first man out is Mark Adams, a novice,
in competition for the first time.
Oster follows him in order to film his aerial maneuvers.
The object of free fall competition
is to land in a designated area.
The first competitor to hit this area
two out of three times, wins the event.
In his first professional jump,
Adams landed directly on the mark.
Adams returned to his crew
and received their congratulations.
As he posed for photographs,
he appeared confident about his next jump.
The crew carefully prepared his gear
for the second jump of the day.
When jumping out of a plane, 3500 feet above the ground,
a parachutist is totally dependent upon his equipment.
After receiving a kiss for good luck,
Adams is once again airborne for a second jump.
When a strong gust of wind began to blow Adams off target,
his crew, concerned for his safety,
began to chase the drifting parachutes.
Cecil Clemmons, the owner of Gatorama,
remembers that tragic day.
The most terrible thing that I have ever witnessed
was one evening I come out on the patio
and I see this man coming down in a parachute.
And he landed right in the cockpit.
And he just made one big scream,
and the most horrible looking face
you ever seen on a human being,
that was him.
And before I could get any help,
or any way to get him out of there,
they had pulled him to shreds.
Grab his legs.
Oh, shit, look what they done to him.
There was nothing I could do.
There was nothing anybody could do,
Adams had landed on a target which this time
would cost him his life.
I first visited the country of El Salvador 20 years ago.
At that time, there was hope
that this Central American nation
would become a great ally of the United States.
Unfortunately, it was a short-lived dream,
for this country is now in a state of total political anarchy.
Sitting here, you would think everything is peaceful and serene,
but what you don't see is a 15-foot wall
surrounding this property.
When it becomes dangerous to leave your house after dark
because of a virtual war in the streets,
your own life takes on new meaning.
That is the basic reason why I came back to El Salvador.
What I have learned is that political ideals
are more important than human life.
Unfortunately for the illiterate peasants
and the children of this country,
it is the men with guns
that decide their political destiny.
In El Salvador, torture is a common technique
used to obtain information from prisoners.
The military records these sessions
for their private files, and occasionally, public display.
Carlos Marino was a man who happened to be
in the right place at the wrong time.
A seemingly routine investigation
had become a horrible nightmare for Carlos.
The methods of extracting information
are as old as civilization itself;
crude, but effective.
When Carlos did not respond to the interrogation techniques,
the pain was increased.
The aim was to loosen his tongue
through a combination of pain and fear.
(Spanish speaking)
The merciless questioning continued for hours,
and still the uncooperative prisoner
refused to give the proper answers.
A new set of techniques had to be employed,
but first an unconscious Carlos had to be revived.
But even in a semi-stupor,
Carlos wasn't able to provide the needed information.
Totally disoriented and racked with pain,
Carlos was indeed a very brave man, or totally innocent,
for few people could withstand this terrible agony without cracking.
The survival of a terrorist regime
is dependent upon secrecy.
The failure of the interrogation of Carlos Marino
could only be resolved in one way,
for there could be no witnesses.
No one will ever know if Carlos was indeed guilty.
My friend, Alfredo Garrob,
has never wanted to move out of this war-ridden country.
He has a firm belief that some kind of political
moderation will be reached.
I hope so for his sake.
As for me, I've just confirmed my plane reservations
to the United States.
I must confess I feel a bit out of place here,
I don't speak Spanish, and I don't have any desire to die
in a war in which I am not involved.
But I do have to admit there's one thing I'll miss;
Alfredo's home made tequila.
Long live the revolution.
On June 1, 1979, police responded to a phone tip
that a bomb had been placed at the home
of a recently defected Russian artist.
Time was of the essence,
for the lives of these professionals
were at the mercy of a bomb
that could explode at any given second.
There could be no room for panic.
Patience was the key to their success and their survival.
Let's check the pit out.
We have an alert here.
Sad, we have an alert.
Fearing that the explosive device might detonate at any moment,
the Bomb Squad had no choice
but to disarm it on the premises.
A reinforced steel shield was erected
to protect the Bomb Squad observers and the news cameraman.
Okay, we have a destructive devise,
seven sticks of Hercules dynamite,
two battery supplies,
a Quartz clock attached to an arming device.
I'm gonna try and pull the blasting cap...
going for the blasting cap now.
Bomb Squad members are faced with death on a daily basis.
Bill Reynolds had often expressed his fear of death
at a bomb exploding in his hands.
On this very day,
Bill's greatest fear became a tragic reality
as he experienced his own face of death.
Through the mid 1960s to the early 1970s,
America was involved in a war
that has never really been understood.
The locale was Vietnam.
A country divided by civil war,
hoping to prevent the spread of communism,
the United States set up a base of operations
in the city of Saigon,
where Americans teamed with South Vietnamese
to destroy the dreaded Vietcong.
Unfortunately, this was a way which nobody could win.
For five years, Cliff Freedman had been a news cameraman in Vietnam.
His dramatic footage of the war had brought him awards
as well as recognition.
Many times he would risk his life to get that extra shot
that had made his photography so unique.
Freedman never carried a gun during his tenure
as a cameraman in Vietnam.
If he ever had a fear of dying,
this footage was a testament to his courage.
In slow motion, you'll be able to witness
the final frame of Cliff Freedman's life.
Although Freedman captured the last moments of his life on celluloid,
there are others who claim that they have recorded
a mental image of their own death.
I feel very strange talking about this
because it was a very personal experience.
I had to go to the hospital, and I felt very much alone.
I was having open heart surgery.
One of the greatest hopes we all share
is the possibility of life after death.
The enigma of death has remained an unanswered question
since the beginning of time.
If there ever was one universal fear,
it would have to be the fear of death.
The case of Mary Stevens may somehow shed a new view point
on this seemingly unsolvable mystery.
My heart stopped, I was dead for several minutes,
and I didn't know what was happening.
Everything about me was bright red, and I thought,
I'm dead, dear God in heaven, I'm dead.
I came out of the red into a white light,
suddenly I felt very safe.
I saw my husband, I miss him terribly.
I was so happy.
My sister Gloria was there, the people I love,
even my best friend, oh, God, it was wonderful.
Then I saw my son, he was killed in Vietnam,
and he looked just exactly the way I remember him.
I really wanted to stay there,
but I woke up in the hospital and I was in terrible pain.
And I'm glad to be alive, because there's so many things
I need to do and want to do.
But I'm not afraid to die anymore because there's--
I know that I'll be with the people I love
in the afterlife.
This is the police, do not jump,
repeat, do not jump.
On a hazy spring afternoon in 1979,
Frank Maynard was faced with the ultimate decision;
whether or not to take his own life.
After being out of work for several months,
and faced with divorce,
Maynard decided suicide was his only escape.
As his wife arrived on the scene,
police felt confident she could deter his destiny with death.
Do you have any idea why he's doing this?
Do you think you could go--
do you think you could go talk to him?
I don't know why he's doing this.
Come on, come on, get her up here.
Is he on drugs or something?
Get her up there.
Come on, get her up there.
Posing as a maintenance man,
Maynard had gained access to the ledge.
At first his own fear of death prevented tragedy.
Coming through, coming through,
coming through.
I'm gonna do it...
Living in a complex world,
we must have at our command
means that are adequate to deal with the complexity.
If this does not occur, a grave imbalance results.
This particular face of death resulted
when Frank's actions overcame his rational mind.
Well, it sounded like a little splash,
aside of liver hitting the floor when you drop it.
You know, kind of a splash, kind of gooey like,
you know what I mean.
The negative voices which had beckoned Maynard
resulted in self annihilation.
The problems he perceived coping with daily existence
had finally been eradicated.
The man, he just, all of a sudden
just jumped out of the window.
I didn't know what was going on,
I was just walking by,
just got a bottle of wine.
And I was walking by and all I seen him jump
when that lady yelled.
I didn't know what happened.
I saw his wife begging him,
and she said don't jump, and he did.
He sure had a problem, that's all I can tell you.
All I see was them put the lady in the police car
and take her away.
I guess it was his wife.
If death brought peace of mind to Maynard,
his own selfish decision brought sorrow
to the people who loved him and those who watched.
What ended as an avenue of escape for one
would haunt and cause nightmares in the minds of many.
I was pretty disgusted with the way
that everything went today here.
There was a guy died here today, you know.
How'd you feel about that guy?
How did I feel about him,
I was afraid for his, there was nothing I could do.
So you really feared for his life?
I did, yeah, I feared for his life.
There was nothing I could do.
Tradition plays an important role in all our lives,
and they're often symbols
which are associated with the various holidays.
On Thanksgiving, it's the turkey,
at Christmas, it's jolly old St. Nick,
and during Easter it's the white rabbit.
But the Easter Bunny is not only loved
for his ability at hiding colored eggs,
gourmets around the world have developed a very special taste
for the symbol of Easter.
Look what I found.
Oh, thank you, sweetheart, that's very nice,
that's pretty.
There are also grown men who look forward
to receiving their bunnies,
but you'll see that they have other things in mind.
In 1980, 2 million pounds of rabbit meat was consumed
in Los Angeles County.
To meet the ever growing demand,
many slaughterhouses throughout America
have decided to enter this profitable market.
This particular slaughterhouse
kills an average of 600 rabbits a day.
The by-products of this creature
bring high prices in many different markets.
Rabbit's blood is used as a filler for inoculations,
its brain is freeze-dried for use in various medications.
Even the eyes are utilized
for pharmaceutical compounds.
Their heads and skin are ground
and used for dog and cat food,
while their paws are sold as good luck charms.
Quite frankly,
I never realized this cute little creature
could be used in so many ways.
The rabbit's entrails are also saved and used to fatten hogs.
The most valuable part of this creature is its fur.
Once these pelts dry, they will be sold to manufacturers
who will create expensive designer coats and jackets.
So ends the saga of a rabbit's day
in the slaughterhouse.
Fast food has become a life saver
for those who hate to cook.
Aside from the hamburger,
chicken is one of the most popular foods in America.
The demand for this bird has become so great that in 1980,
4 billion chickens had to be killed
to feed the hungry masses.
In this particular slaughterhouse,
20,000 chickens are killed a day
at a rate of 2,000 an hour.
A special machine de-feathers the bird
and these feathers are then sold for fertilizer.
After a washing process,
their skins are singed with hot flames
to kill any external bacteria.
All of the internal organs of this bird are used.
What cannot be eaten, will also be sold for fertilizer.
This assembly line prepares a chicken
for market place in five minutes.
Within another five minutes, a high-press refryer
can ready this bird for human consumption.
Hallelujah, America.
The location for this face of death is Bancocharel Reef,
off the coast of Yucatan.
Bob Olson was an America expatriate who had setup
a small tourist dive business.
Having spent several years as a merchant marine,
Bob simply got fed up with what he called
the American way of life,
and resituated in the port city of Cozmel.
It was here he purchased a boat
and set up special underwater tours.
Being an experienced diver and avid treasure hunter,
the reef presented a perfect haven for Bob.
He could do what he loved,
getting paid for it at the same time.
He never tired of exploring the ancient wrecks
on the ocean floor.
Every dive would present a new artifact and a new challenge.
He would even teach tourists how to feed
some of his underwater friends.
There was little doubt Bob was a man who seemed
to have total control of this alien environment.
Bob would often tell tourists before he took them
on this underwater tour,
that diving with him would be a totally different experience.
His underwater world was not a hunting ground,
but instead an area where people could feed
and study the ocean's unique wildlife.
Olson respected the sea, and in turn,
he expected the sea to respect him.
Sometimes a man who becomes too overconfident
could be just as dangerous as a man who fears too much.
Although the barracuda is not considered an aggressor towards man,
in this unusual incident,
the fish became confused and bit Olson on the face
with his razor sharp teeth.
Writhing in pain and in a state of shock,
the crew members and tourists worked frantically to save
the wounded man.
Although his injury had resulted from an accident,
it was serious enough to nearly cost Olson his life.
Look, we gotta get some towels down here
to stop this bleeding.
Take these towels and stop the bleeding.
Jess, he's gonna need stitches.
Geez, it tore him up so bad.
Is there any gaze in this first aid kit?
I don't know, man.
He's going under, we gotta get the oxygen, man.
Can we get that oxygen.
I can't stop the bleeding.
Okay, press harder, press harder,
just keep it going...
Get the gaze, gaze here.
Press on his head, press on his head.
Okay, we've gotta get the Coast Guard...
Okay, here, it's over his nose.
Okay, come on, come on, crank it up, crank it up.
Get on that phone and get the coast guard...
Bob Olson received 72 stitches in the face,
and to this day has refused to reenter the water.
His confidence in a world he had loved so much
has been replaced by a complete fear of this element.
He is currently under my therapy
and is making great strides
toward becoming the man he once was.
Olson is learning the scar he carries
must not prevent him from entering a world
which he at one time adored and cherished.
What do you think caused this accident?
Well, unfortunately, this is probably another circumstance
where probably very good open water divers
tried a highly technical form of diving,
which is cavediving,
and basically threw their lives away,
simply because they didn't have the proper training and equipment.
Often divers will push themselves,
and there's a fine line
between something being stressful and challenging,
and far too often they cross that line.
A lot of times divers that are even somewhat afraid of the water
will sometimes push themselves just to see what they can do.
Did somebody drown?
Okay, you were in the tunnel here,
which is kind of winding around a lot?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's the serpentine tunnels,
probably somewhere in there.
We got really silted down I think,
and that's when I lost him.
What's the situation?
Well, we had two divers go in, and one came out.
This is Phil here, he came out and his buddy
is still down there somewhere.
Did he say what happened?
He says he thinks they were down somewhere
in the serpentine tunnel area.
What kind of tanks was he using?
Do you know about how much air was still in them?
It was about half.
We could anticipate one, maybe two...
Yeah, maybe one more.
I think maybe what we should do is go in there,
check this tunnel out.
If we don't find him there, go back here,
look at this one.
If we still don't find him, come on back here,
maybe go back around and check these tunnels out,
and this side passage.
Cave diving is perhaps the most potentially dangerous terrain
a scuba enthusiast can explore.
There is a rigid set of rules which must be followed
before one enters this environment.
No amount of previous open water experience
can prepare a person for cave diving.
In this uncommon setting, the hazards are many.
For example, when diving in this confined area,
the cave ceiling restricts direct access to the surface,
so a diver is even more dependent upon his gear.
If an emergency such as air failure occurs,
the only exit from the cave is the way one came in.
Yet many divers unaware of this logistical problem
fail to plan for such an emergency.
When presented with this potentially dangerous situation,
the scuba enthusiast must rely totally on his dive light.
If the dive light fails,
or a diver's swimming technique stirs up the cave's silty floor,
disorientation results.
The normal response is panic,
followed by being trapped in this underwater labyrinth,
and eventually drowning.
...rescue has been down there for some time.
We will notify some more divers,
just have them on standby.
Joseph Ryan had just received his diving certification.
He was a novice diver,
and yet had a false sense of his own skills.
He believed that his experience was great enough
to compensate for any emergency.
In theory, he probably did understand what to do,
but when he became separated from his diving buddy,
he simply panicked.
At this point, he had little chance for survival.
As he feared for his life,
he neglected to assess the situation,
and in essence, signed his own death certificate.
To challenge the unknown
and to anticipate a remarkable discovery
is one of the greatest lures of cave diving.
Feeling a sense of safety is an important factor
when one enters an unfamiliar locale.
Given the sense of security,
a diver must never lose perception
of the many inherent dangers which still exist.
A balance of confidence and humility must be achieved.
Realizing one's vulnerability is an important part
of dealing with one's own fear in any given situation.
If Joseph Ryan had realized this,
he could have saved his life.
There's a fine line between
something being stressful and challenging,
and far too often because of a strong ego,
we all tend to push ourselves.
This is a big boy sport, you have to make up your mind
about the risk ahead of time.
Once you get in a situation where you regret it,
it's too late then.
Some people I think do have a tendency to push themselves,
and perhaps even so because some people
might even have a fear of water itself.
John Ruskin once described the snake
as a running brook of horror.
There is little doubt the snake is indeed a strange creature,
for only their left lung has survived the evolutionary processes
which have been necessary to make snakes what they are,
just a long, narrow ribcage with a head at the end.
Nor do these reptiles have any antibodies in their blood,
so a tick bite, if it gets infected,
can kill a highly venomous snake.
Yet most people fear this seemingly vulnerable creature.
Andy Ckolashas worked with venomous snakes
for over 20 years.
During this time, he has conducted various studies
concerning the behavioral patterns of rattlesnakes.
Approximately 100 people die each year
as a result of this creature's poisonous bite.
Since the rattle snake's fangs
are not sited for biting large animals,
when this snake attacks humans,
it is sally notable to get in a good bite,
so many people survive by default.
So when Jerry Davis decided to do some plumbing on his mother's kitchen sink,
he accidentally discovered a rattlesnake's nest
while lifting up the kitchen floorboards.
Before he could react, he was bitten in the hand
and immediately went into shock.
Within several seconds, deadly Eastern Diamondbacks
were moving about the kitchen.
The sheriff arrived minutes later with Andy.
Jerry Davis needed medical help,
but first the snakes had to be removed.
It was by sheer luck that this unfortunate incident
happened in Andy's hometown.
Since the snakes had surrounded the fallen boy,
Andy had no choice but to capture the venomous creatures
while they were still alive.
Equipped with a special snake stick,
Andy had to measure his every move.
An Eastern Diamondback is capable of striking
a distance of two-thirds its own body length,
so one wrong move could cost Andy his life.
Keep your eye on that big one, Deputy,
if you will, please.
Okay.
As the snake moved around Jerry Davis' unconscious body,
Andy had to quicken his pace.
Within minutes, the boy would die
if emergency medical procedures could not be performed.
It looks like it's trying to get away from us.
I don't care, let me get over here real quick.
It looks like I'm not needed here...
This is the biggest one right here.
It's a biggy.
Watch yourself.
This is a big rattlesnake here.
This is probably the one that bit that guy,
look at the fangs.
How is he?
I'm not feeling a pulse just yet.
There it is.
Let me go outside and get a hold of the paramedics.
Alright.
Okay, I'll look in here for some more snakes.
The timing could not have been more perfect,
as Andy was capturing the last rattlesnake,
the paramedic unit arrived on the scene.
In the United States,
only three percent of snake bite victims
who have received anti venom, die.
Since Davis had only been bitten on the hand once,
the paramedics felt they could save the boy's life.
As the boy's frantic mother was consoled by the sheriff,
the professionals performed their life-saving task.
After viewing an incident such as this,
it becomes easy to understand why most people
have a fear of snakes.
As Mrs. Davis viewed her son's hand,
she immediately associated this horrible experience
with every snake she'd see from that moment on.
Fortunately for her son,
the wound looked far worse than it actually was.
A few days later, he was released from the hospital
with a clean bill of health.
A bad experience such as the one Jerry Davis
and his family underwent can sometimes resolve itself
with a strong psychological fear.
There was fright, there was pain,
then momentary panic,
and even the fleeting thought of death.
Although these emotions may have been warranted,
the situation was resolved.
For some reason, it takes along time to forget.
The nightmare had been created by a creature
that has the potential to kill.
Even though this experience
will probably never repeat itself,
the Davis family will always wonder could it happen again.
And with this thought they wonder what other
creatures lay in waiting for their human prey.
The crystal clear waters of the South Pacific
set the stage for a truly horrifying example of death.
Milas Goodman, a renowned marine biologist
and underwater cinematographer,
had set out with a crew from the island of Mokia
to complete a documentary on shark behavior.
As the boat approached its destination,
the crew began the necessary surface preparation
for another day of filming.
The expedition had been based in the South Pacific
for the last six weeks.
Aside from hiring a well experienced crew,
Goodman had a great deal of luck with Mother Nature,
for the weather could not have been more beautiful.
This was to be the final dive of the expedition,
and also the most hazardous.
It was during this dive that Goodman planned
to lure different varieties of reef sharks
into a confined area by wiring bait
to the corral heads on the ocean floor.
By enticing the sharks into a feeding frenzy,
they would be placing themselves
into a very dangerous situation.
Therefore, the crew realized they would only
have a limited amount of filming time.
Patterns of behavior are all important
to a biologist studying a particular animal,
but sharks remain inscrutable.
When the glimmer of a pattern appears to be emerging,
it is very often shattered or blurred
by new and puzzling facts.
Of the world's 250 species of sharks,
only about 10 percent are proven man eaters.
However, in this situation,
statistics meant very little.
The sharks encountered by Goodman and his crew
were being purposely aroused
to expose their aggressive natures for the cameras.
As the sharks began to discover the bait,
the filming could not have gone at a better pace.
Lewis Carroll once wrote,
'But when the tide rises and the sharks are around,
his voice had a timid and tremulous sound.'
If Goodman or any of his crew
had any fear of death by sharks,
they had little time to dwell on this emotion.
Although armed with underwater weapons
in case of an accident,
the crew realized they had little protection
against these denizens of the deep.
In a matter of moments, Goodman and his crew
would realize they had created the ultimate feeding frenzy.
Oh my God.
Theresa, call the Coast Guard helicopter assistance,
we've had a bad shark attack.
We've lost some limbs, quickly call them,
call the Coast Guard helicopter assistance.
Get me out of the water.
Massive tissue loss, bring the first aid kit.
Bring him around, get him out of the water, quick,
bring him around, bring him around.
Get me out of the water.
Quick, quick, massive tissue loss,
I'll stop the bleeding.
A man who had devoted his life
to the sea became a victim of his own scientific pursuits,
a gray shark had torn off
one of Goodman's legs at the knee cap.
Most people live in fear of one day
being attacked while swimming in the ocean.
It is ironic that a man who had no fear
of these creatures would eventually fall victim
to their deadly jaws.
Have you ever been the victim of a crime,
almost everyone has.
It can be completely devastating
to those on meager incomes.
The criminal's mentality is simply,
your loss is my gain.
These people are the lowlifes of society,
preying like vultures upon the unsuspecting.
We're about to examine the ultimate face of death.
Some say it is justified,
the kind of death that comes to those
who seem to deserve it.
I'm not sure that any man has a right to judge another,
but I'm a firm believer that God punishes those
who do injustice to others,
sally in the form of eternal damnation,
once the evil soul leaves this earthly plain.
This time, death's winning face
is in the form of an animal.
I call this final chapter, God, spelled backward.
If the dog is man's best friend,
he is also man's best protector.
Guard dogs still remain one of the greatest
deterrents against the criminal element.
Marvin Jacobs had owned an auto body repair shop for 10 years.
After repeated car thefts,
he installed a video camera on his lot.
As additional protection, he also bought two guard dogs
to insure against robbery.
On the night of March 14th, 1980,
two men entered Jacobs' property,
unaware of the dangers that awaited them.
While one of the robbers managed to escape,
the other was viciously killed by the guard dogs.
The police had no choice but to shoot the dogs
upon their arrival.
The two German Shepherds guarding the parking lot
represented a face of death
to any one who would dare trespass.
Sadly, the two dogs had to die
for performing their duty too zealously;
for a human life,
even that of a criminal breaking the law,
is more important than an animal's.
The dramatic footage you are viewing was recorded
by the video camera Jacobs had installed on the premises.
In a world that is constantly changing,
in a society that continues to grow more violent,
the fear of death is becoming the plague of the 20th century.