> Basically nobody ever died from leaky pipes

I know you're probably intending to only remark on leaky water pipes, but:

The New London School explosion was caused by a leaky pipe. It killed 295 students and teachers, and led to the inclusion of smelly thiol in natural gas, as well as the Texas Engineering Practice Act.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London_School_explosion

Even leaky water pipes kill people - just google Legionnaires disease.