After performing thousands of autopsies over the past seven years, autopsy technician Dolly, 32, has seen death in every form.
Drawn from her work assisting forensic pathologists across multiple states, she shared a viral video of the six everyday things she would never do after seeing them turn fatal.
“[I am] essentially the right hand man for the forensic pathologist,” Dolly told Newsweek. “We do all the removal of organs, assist the doctor with special requests, pull toxicology, take evidence, photographs, reports.”
But her job has also offered a rare and sometimes harrowing view into how people die—and how many of those deaths might have been preventable.
Six Things You’ll Never Catch an Autopsy Tech Doing
Based on real-life cases, Dolly’s cautionary list includes behaviors most people wouldn’t think twice about—until it’s too late.
- Avoid Provocative Phrases
Dolly warned against jokingly daring someone to harm you. Phrases like “What are you going to do, stab me?” have, tragically, been the last words of real individuals. “They are going to shoot and/or stab you,” she said in the video. “Don’t say that. That’s stupid.” - Skip Steak in Old Age
Dolly says choking on steak is a common cause of death among elderly individuals. “You can’t chew anymore,” she said. “You’re going to choke and die, and then you end up in the morgue. And I have to retrieve it from your esophagus. It is disgusting.” - Don’t Lean Into Washing Machines
Positional asphyxia—a condition where a person’s body position prevents them from breathing properly—is a surprisingly common cause of accidental death. Dolly explained she has seen multiple cases of individuals, often shorter in stature, becoming trapped while reaching too far into top-loading washers. - Never Trust Cheap Car Jacks
“If I was underneath a car, I’m not going to trust the $6.99 Harbor Freight jacks,” she said, urging people to invest in quality equipment. “Your life is worth more than that.” - Avoid Loose Clothing Near Machinery
Whether it’s untied shoelaces or loose sleeves, Dolly says these small oversights can lead to horrific accidents, including degloving—where skin is forcibly torn from the body. “If you Google what degloving is,” she warned, “you’ll know why I said that.” - Wear Proper Gear on Motorcycles
Dolly likened the aftermath of a motorcycle crash without protective clothing to being scraped across a cheese grater. “You can look cute with your cheeks hanging out,” she said, “but when you hit that pavement… you are the cheese.”
‘I’ve Basically Seen It All’
Dolly has worked on everything from private autopsies to complex homicide cases. She now travels extensively, assisting on forensic, hospital, and coronial cases.
“I’ve basically seen it all, but then something new pops up and surprises me,” she said. Despite the emotional toll of the job, she finds the scientific aspect endlessly fascinating. “It’s so fragile but so resilient… it’s honestly mind blowing.”
Dolly began sharing her experiences on social media not just to issue warnings, but to help de-stigmatize discussions around death. “We’ve really done a disservice in Western culture to make it a taboo subject. When it happens to your loved one, it becomes overwhelming,” she said.
The video on TikTok gained more than 1.3 million views and the response was overwhelming, and Dolly said she often receives messages from people seeking career advice and sharing their own brushes with mortality.
“We’re in a massive forensic pathologist shortage in the U.S., and just the death care industry as a whole,” she said. “The more people I can educate and get excited about possibly making it a career is also a win.”
If there’s one overarching message she hopes viewers take from her content, it would be this.
“Think outside of the box when it comes to death,” she said. “It can happen so suddenly and in the most unexpected ways.”
The post I’m an Autopsy Tech, Here Are 6 Things You Should Never Do—Trust Me appeared first on Newsweek.
