Life Jacket from The Titanic Life jackets were one of the leading causes of death on the Titanic. If a person jumped overboard from 10 feet up or higher, their necks would be broken upon impact with the water. (They may have been the lucky ones). This life jacket was cut from a body after being in the ocean for many days. Recovery workers did not want to touch the bodies, so the life jackets were removed by cutting the straps. The bodies were then weighted and the unidentifiable were returned to the sea. The Mackey-Bennett recovered 306 bodies; 116 were buried at sea and 190 were brought back to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This life jacket was cut from a body after being in the ocean for many days. If you look closely at the top right corner, there is still evidence of blood. This life jacket is also pictured and documented in "Titanic: Touchstones of a Tragedy" by author and historian, Steve Santini.