The acting work of Will Smith has been left in the background after the tremendous slap he gave Chris Rock at the ceremony of oscars 2022. Now those who talk about the actor do so to comment on the appropriateness or inappropriateness of his reaction or to deduce whether it was something spontaneous or everything was prepared. The truth is that it was a rather embarrassing feeling, but one wonders if it was also a danger. Could Will Smith’s slap in the face have caused the death of the funny presenter?
There have also been comments on social media about this. According to what they say in futuristicthe writer and director Judd Apatow tweeted that Will Smith’s slap could have been deadly. However, his publication caused so much ridicule on the social network that he ended up deleting it.
There have also been people who have taken advantage of the situation to remember if they have ever physically assaulted someone in their lives. Many school fights have come to light, some with slaps included. And no mention of death. Basically because it is unlikely that someone will die from a slap. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, there are some reported cases. in the press and scientific literature.
death by slap
According to the RAE, the term slap refers to a blow to the cheek with an open hand. Basically what Will Smith did to Chris Rick.
It is important to take this into account, because if, for example, the blow is to the head, the chances of death are much greater. In fact, in recent years viral challenges among young people such as the “slap challenge” or the “skull cracker”.
The latter has given rise to some videos in which young people are seen being left unconscious after the blow and that could very well have also ended with the death of one of them.
But even a slap, in the strict sense of its definition, can be deadly, as shown by some cases reported both in the press and in the scientific literature. For example, in 2014 A man was sentenced to prison in Canada after causing the death of his 13 year old daughter for a slap in the face during a domestic argument. Apparently, the strong blow caused the girl’s neck to turn sharply, breaking an artery.
One year later, in 2015the medical case of a 72 year old woman that he had died from a slap received during a fight caused by the theft of some mangoes. According to the conclusions of the doctors who studied the situation, his could be a rare case of vasovagal shock that was produced by the stimulation of baroreceptors located at the level of the angle of the mandible.
in 2019 a man was convicted of the death of another in a fight at a three-year-old boy’s birthday party. The killer said that the victim had been drinking heavily and was behaving inappropriately, so he ended up slapping her. Apparently the blow went to stop in the throattearing his vertebral artery and ultimately causing a cerebral haemorrhage.
So while it doesn’t seem like Chris Rock’s life was in danger from Will Smith’s slap in the face, there have been cases of open-handed blows to the face that have resulted in someone’s death. For this reason, it is better to avoid even the blows that may seem innocuous. Not even if the other expects the blow, as in the case of the slap contests, we will be completely sure not to cause damage. In the case of the American actor at the moment it does not seem that he has to deal with anything other than shame. But other people have dealt with far worse for seemingly innocent beatings.