LOL thanks for that speedyboy, I emailed it to a few friends, and it made their days.
Here's a few more from the Darwin Awards site:
Grenade Juggler
May 2001, Croatia | A college student dropped the ball when a hand grenade exploded while he was juggling it at a party in Vidovci. The six injured onlookers earn Honorable Mentions for their disregard of common sense, and the juggler wins a Darwin for his lethal stupidity. The Sun, ananova.com
Cable Cut
30 May 2001, Oregon | Ismael drove his truck into a mailbox, bringing down 7500-volt power lines on top of the vehicle. He surveyed the situation, then pulled out a pair of pruning shears and clipped the cable lying across his truck. The current took the path of least resistance, across his heart and out his left foot. Ismael was found lying motionless on the power line with a pair of pruning shears in his hands. The Oregonian
Rubbish!
1 March 2000, New Zealand | Two university students climbed to the top of Baldwin Street, the steepest in the world according to The Guinness Book of World Records. The women attempted to pilot a rubbish bin down the 38-degree incline, but missed a crucial turn and hurtled into a trailer parked legally aside the road. One woman was instantly killed, and her co-pilot suffered serious head injuries--though one wonders how they noticed. New Zealand Herald, Reuters
Killing Time
2001, Scotland | A Glasgow electric train proved the undoing of one enterprising thief, who thought he'd steal the copper from the rails, between trains, when they are not electrified. His plan might have worked... but for one small detail. He had consulted an out-of-date timetable and the train arrived ten minutes early, putting an electrifying end to his ignoble career.
Blown Away
16 July, 2001, United States | An assistant plant manager made a permanent exit after using an acetylene torch to cut a hole in an asphalt emulsion tank. His plan was to determine the amount remaining in the tank, but his chosen method was in complete disregard of safety procedures and warning signs. When the torch reached the level of the emulsion, the resulting explosion blew him 93 feet away. (CCH Employment Safety & Health Guide No. 1573
Think Before You Leap
21 July 2001, Idaho | When the brakes failed while driving down a steep mountain road, Marco bailed out on his eight passengers and threw himself from the Dodge van. Too bad he didn't alert the others to the problem before he hit the pavement. Another passenger was able to bring the vehicle to a stop a short distance away. Marco died of a head wound, but no one else was injured.
THAT SINKING FEELING
16 February 2001, Florida | Karla, 32, drowned after driving her car into a 30-foot canal. She could have saved herself, but she refused to listen to the 911 operator who urged her to escape, protesting,"All the water is going to come in!" If you are unlucky enough to find yourself trapped in a sinking car, it is essential to roll down the windows immediately so you can escape from the vehicle. Once your door is even slightly submerged, the water pressure makes it impossible to open. Karla was a strong swimmer and could have paddled to safety, if only she had rolled down her window. (Miami Herald)
CRYSTAL DAZE
Confirmed | Chihuahua, Mexico is home to two caverns containing the largest natural crystals known to man. Some of the clear crystals of selenite are over 20 feet long. The newly-discovered caverns buried 1200 feet below the surface of the earth carry a curse for those who seek to plunder their riches. A man recently tried to steal one of the magnificent crystals from the roof, and might have succeeded... if he hadn't stood directly beneath it while chopping it free. He was was crushed by the sparkling stalactite as it heeded the call of gravity. (Discovery Channel News)
BULLETPROOF?
March 2001, Ghana | Tribal clashes in Northern Ghana cause some to resort to witchcraft in the hope of becoming invulnerable to weapons. Sixteen men purchased a potion that would supposedly render them invincible to bullets. After smearing the magical lotion over their bodies, one brave man volunteered to test the spell by standing in a clearing while his compatriots fired upon him... The jujuman who had supplied the defective magic was siezed and beaten for his failure. (Reuters, New Zealand Press)
SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL
March, Delaware | Two toll collectors involved in a friendly snowball fight decided the match, when one reached out and scooped somesnow from a passing truck. The toll collector's hand caught in the rig, and he was pulled from his booth and dragged to his death. (USA Today)
INTERSECTING DARWINS
15 April 2001, Tennessee | A Memphis Darwin Award winner trying to beat a train drove around the crossing gates -- only to be struck by an oncoming vehicle whose driver had the same mad plan. The occupants of one vehicle were killed, and the others injured, making this monumental stupidity the first instance of a Darwin Award winner crashing into an Honorable Mention. The accident happened to one side of the tracks, so the train passed by unimpeded.
SPEED BUMP
8 Aug 2001, Texas | An publican refused further alcoholic drinks to an intoxicated bar patron, a known violent drunk. But he stopped the flow too late. The incensed man hurled a woman to the floor before he was sub- dued by other patrons and ejected from the bar. The authorities were sum- monned to the scene, where they found the unconscious patron imitating a speed bump in the road outside of the bar. (Arlington Star Telegram) |
