“contributed to” vs “killing me instantly”

I wish I had the reading comprehension to find the obvious difference between these two statements, but alas it is impossible no one is that comprehensive.

Out of curiosity, I looked this up:

“Richard Wertheim (1983) - A tennis official who died after being struck in the groin by a tennis ball during a match. He fell backward, hit his head on the court, and suffered a fatal brain injury.”

Definitely would rather die instantly.