Can falling coconuts or flying coconuts kill you?

Here in the Dominican Republic, we have an abundance of coconut palms. They add charm and personality to the beaches they border. They are often depicted on tourist postcards and appear as an inspiring backdrop in many of the photographs taken. However, tourists are often told not to sit under coconut trees to avoid falling coconuts which could prove dangerous. You’ll even see signs that say, “Watch out for falling coconuts.”

You will also see groves of coconut palms growing in agricultural fields as a cash crop for sale locally and for export. A single coconut palm can produce between 50 and 150 coconuts per year and the Dominican Republic is one of the main exporters of fresh coconuts.

With all this in mind, I have seen questions like the following posted on the internet:

1. Can falling coconuts kill you?

2. Can flying coconuts kill you during a hurricane?

3. Do people really die from falling coconuts?

I don’t want to sound alarmist, but the short answer is “yes” to all 3 questions above.

Before explaining further, I want to mention that Punta Cana, the most popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic, is often referred to as “Costa del Coco”. This is because the entire 30-40 mile stretch of Punta Cana coastline is lined with wind-sculpted coconut palms. As an eco-tour operator, I often take guests from Punta Cana on day trips to nearby Isla Saona, which is also lined with coconut palms, so I’m sure you’ll understand my interest in this topic of potential dangers. due to falling coconuts and flying coconuts.

Actually, there was a peer-reviewed scientific study done in 2002 to determine the bodily injury due to being hit by a coconut while sitting under a coconut palm tree. In the academic article resulting from this study, Dr. Peter Barss, a Canadian physician, reported two deaths and several serious head injuries due to impacts from falling coconuts. Some of these head injuries were serious enough to knock people out and put them in a coma. He was quite familiar with these cases as he worked as a doctor in the tropics for years and personally treated many patients who had been struck by coconuts.

From Dr. Barss’ study, it was calculated that if a coconut palm is 25 meters tall (over 82 feet tall) and a 2 kilogram coconut (that’s 4.4 a pound of coconut) falls from this height, when it hits, hit at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, that’s about 50 miles per hour! Some coconut palms reach 35 meters in height (about 115 feet tall). It’s no wonder a falling coconut can kill or seriously injure you!

So what about the flying coconuts picked up by a hurricane?

Well, consider this. A mere category 1 hurricane has sustained winds of over 74 miles per hour! A category 5 hurricane has sustained winds of over 155 miles per hour! It’s not a hard deduction that a coconut flying at this speed could kill you if it hits you in the skull.

Consider this: 155 miles per hour is the same speed as Andy Roddick’s very fast tennis serve and I’ve seen super tennis pro Roger Federer dodge them! Instead of a small, soft tennis ball being fired at you, imagine what a rock-hard 4-5 pound coconut missile could do if you don’t duck in time!

This explains why football helmets are sometimes added to hurricane preparedness kits in the Caribbean. It never hurts to protect the skull during a tropical storm. This is also why you should always pay attention to the instructions you are given on how to properly cover yourself during a hurricane warning! Be sure to stay away from windows too because those coconut shell missiles can easily go through glass.

In the tropics, you’ll often see road crews and homeowners picking coconuts when a hurricane is expected. It’s interesting to think of something as picturesque as the beautiful coconut palm becoming so dangerous, but it can happen and you should always be aware of it.

We often see comedy routines that feature a coconut hitting someone in the head while they’re napping under a coconut tree, but consider what Dr. Barss said in an interview: “It may seem funny from our perspective, but when you try these injuries on a daily basis, it’s not funny at all.”

Note that the number of people who die each year from falling coconuts has been greatly exaggerated on the internet. The idea that more people are killed by falling coconuts than by sharks was a completely fabricated bogus story, with numbers (150 per year) drawn from a hat. There is no real science or statistics to back it up. However, with that said, you should still avoid lounging under coconut trees, especially in high wind conditions.

So when you travel to the Dominican Republic or anywhere else in the tropics where you have coconut trees, be sure to maintain a healthy respect for the coconut palm while enjoying its beauty. Above all, be sure to try a fresh coconut straight from the tree. It is a force of nature in more ways than one.

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