NationStates Jolt Archive


Yaaay! 2007 Darwin Awards

Anti-Social Darwinism
08-08-2007, 08:51
Gotta love these guys. Does it strike anyone as strange that over the history of the Darwin Awards, the vast majority of the nominees have been men and not women?

DARWIN AWARDS 2007

And once again, it's time for the Darwin Award Nominees. The Darwins
are awarded every year to the persons who died in the most stupid
manner, thereby removing themselves from the gene pool.

This year's nominees are :

Nominee No. 1 : [ San Jose Mercury News]:

An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a former
girlfriend's windshield, accidentally shot himself to death when the gun
discharged, blowing a hole in his gut.

Nominee No. 2 : [ Kalamazoo Gazette]:

James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, MI, was killed in March as he
was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm-type truck." Burns
got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath
so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise.
B urns clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found
Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft".


Nominee No. 3: [ Hickory Daily Record]:

Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in December
in Newton, NC. Awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside is
bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith & Wesson 38
Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.

Nominee No. 4: [UPI, Toronto ]:

Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown
Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged
2 4 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell
into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday
evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings windows to
visiting law students. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of
window strength a ccording to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing
partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper
that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man
association.

Nominee No. 5: [The News of the Weird]:

Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had
spent several years awaiting South Carolinas e lectric chair on a murder
c onviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. While
sitting on a metal toilet in his cell attempting to fix his small TV
set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.


Nominee No. 6: [The Indianapolis Star]:

A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk,
IN. A Jay County man, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a
muzzle loader, was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his
fa ce, sheriff's investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in
his parent's rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Investigators said
Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing
properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the
gunpowder ignited.


Nominee No. 7: [Reuters, Mississauga , Ontario ]:

A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium
apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his
death. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident
occurred, said Inspector Darcy Honer of the Peel Regional Police. "It
appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Honer
said.


Finally, THE WINNER!!!: [ Arkansas Democrat Gazette]:

Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and
struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday.
Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after
midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray
Wallis, 38, of Little Rock, were returning to Des Arc after a frog
catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole's pickup truck
headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight
fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was
not available, Wallis noticed that the 22 caliber bullets from his
pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering-wheel
column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate
properly and the two men proceeded o n eastbound toward the White River
Bridge. After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing
the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck
Poole in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the
pavement, and striking a tree Poole suffered only minor cuts and
abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair
the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended.
Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank
God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his testicles off, or
we might both be dead," stated Wallis "I've been a trooper for 10
years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I can't
believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said
Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia** (Poole's wife) asked
how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the
truck??? (Though Poole and Wallis did not die as a result of their
misadventure as nor mally required by Darwin Award Official Rules, it
can be argued that Poole did, in fact, effectively remove himself from
the gene pool.)
Yaltabaoth
08-08-2007, 11:16
Got links for any of these?
Number 4 sounds awfully familiar...
Extreme Ironing
08-08-2007, 11:16
Hehehe, I love the Darwin awards, so funny :p

I think I prefer nominee 5 though, it is SO ironic.
Barringtonia
08-08-2007, 11:20
Nominee No. 7: [Reuters, Mississauga , Ontario ]:

A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium
apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his
death. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident
occurred, said Inspector Darcy Honer of the Peel Regional Police. "It
appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Honer
said.

Social services were miffed at the disability welfare paid to this man.
Dinaverg
08-08-2007, 11:21
Nominee No. 2 : [ Kalamazoo Gazette]:

James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, MI, was killed in March as he
was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm-type truck." Burns
got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath
so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise.
B urns clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found
Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft".

The lesson?: Always hang under a truck naked.
Aarch
08-08-2007, 11:21
Got links for any of these?
Number 4 sounds awfully familiar...As does number 8. ;)
Sigma Octavus
08-08-2007, 11:34
Several of these are from different years. I heard the fuse-bullet replacement one over a decade ago, and they tested it out on Mythbusters last year.
Compulsive Depression
08-08-2007, 11:47
Got links for any of these?
Number 4 sounds awfully familiar...

I thought that, too, but apparently Snopes says it's true (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/window.asp). It was in 1993, though.
Peepelonia
08-08-2007, 11:53
Gotta love these guys. Does it strike anyone as strange that over the history of the Darwin Awards, the vast majority of the nominees have been men and not women?


Naaa not really, blame the cats, or more specificaly that damned cat parasite T.Gondii
The Alma Mater
08-08-2007, 11:54
So.. what do the fans of "guns for everyone" have to say about this ;) ?
Whereyouthinkyougoing
08-08-2007, 12:03
Nominee No. 2 : [ Kalamazoo Gazette]:

James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, MI, was killed in March as he
was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm-type truck." Burns
got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath
so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise.
B urns clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found
Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft".

*exports mechanic pits to Michigan*


Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia** (Poole's wife) asked
how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the
truck???
Damn, Arkansas must be even worse than the stereotypes want to make us believe.
Bettia
08-08-2007, 12:29
Kinda ironic that #3 was reported by the Hickory Daily Record. :p
Delator
08-08-2007, 12:29
Nominee No. 4: [UPI, Toronto ]:

Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown
Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged
24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell
into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday
evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings windows to
visiting law students. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of
window strength a ccording to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing
partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper
that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man
association.

That's so full of win/fail that I lol'ed for real.

Winner!!!
Khadgar
08-08-2007, 13:22
All of those are quite old and the one with the bullet used as a fuse is probably not true. Mythbusters did a thing on it a year or two ago. They could only get the bullet to fire using much heavier than standard wiring, otherwise it made a decent emergency fuse.
Seathornia
08-08-2007, 13:25
nr 3 and 4 sound awfully familiar from previous years. Fuse bullet = old too.
Upper Botswavia
08-08-2007, 13:50
Gotta love these guys. Does it strike anyone as strange that over the history of the Darwin Awards, the vast majority of the nominees have been men and not women?


Biologically that makes sense... one stupid man can impregnate many, many females but one stupid woman can only have 15 or 20 children. So for survival of the species, better that the man bites it. :D
Gun Manufacturers
08-08-2007, 13:54
The one about the .22 cal bullet in the fuse holder, I first heard on a Lewis Black CD (he read the article almost word for word).
UpwardThrust
08-08-2007, 13:57
Got links for any of these?
Number 4 sounds awfully familiar...

Number 4 and the final ones were covered over a season ago by mythbusters
Khadgar
08-08-2007, 15:57
Here's the real 2007 list:

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-05.html

(24 June 2007, Colorado) If you get "Footloose" and cut the rug on on an oil tank, be sure not to light a cigarette (or bong of weed) else you may soon be walking up the proverbial "Stairway to Heaven".

News reports say a crude oil storage tank exploded as two teens were jumping on it, hurling the youths to their deaths. The tank, owned by Pinnacle Oil Company, exploded during a party in Routt National Forest. The victims were identified as Samuel and Christopher, 17 and 19.

After smoking marijuana and liquoring themselves up at this "popular party spot," the "Footloose" teens decided that it would be fun to leap and cavort upon a mostly-empty oil tank. Their energetic "Saturday Night Fever" gyrations caused fumes to leak from the relief valve...

"There were several ignitions sources," according to Rio Blanco County Undersheriff Michael Joos. One teenager was smoking, and there was a bonfire nearby. One or another of these "ignition sources" sparked a flashdance that sent the two teens hurtling 150 yards away from the explosion.

So let's go over the Check Points, aka The Rules:

1. Reproduction: at 17 and 19, they weren't married, nor had they reproduced, nor can they now reproduce. Check!

2. Excellence: They thought it was wise to jump up and down on an oil tank containing 160 barrels of crude oil, while stoned out of their gourds. Check!

3. Self Selection: These two were stoned insensible, and drunker then the town drunk, while dancing on a oil tank exuding flammable vapors. And there's a campfire nearby. Check!

4. Maturity: At 17 and 19, both are over the minimum age of 16. Check!

5. Veracity: MSNBC.com and AP. Big check.

In the end, this was definitely a "Footloose" dance that turned into a "Flash*BOOM*Dance!

"What goes up must come down."

(20 June 2007, South Carolina) An hour before sunrise, a 21 year-old couple was found naked in the road by a passing cabbie. The unconscious, injured pair was taken to the nearest hospital where, despite treatment, they died without regaining consciousness. Authorities were at a loss to explain what had happened. There were no witnesses, no trace of clothing, and no wrecked cars or motorcycles.

Investigators eventually found a clue high on the roof of a nearby building: two sets of neatly folded clothes, and nothing else. There was no indication of foul play, only of foreplay. "It appears as if the two individuals have accidentally fallen off the roof," Sgt. Florence McCants said.

Safe sex takes on a whole new meaning when you are perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped metal roof! This is a true Darwin Award trifecta: TWO people die, WHILE in the act of procreation, due to an ASTONISHINGLY poor decision. Bottom line: If you put yourself in a precarious "position" at the edge of the roof, you may well find yourself coming and going at the same time.

Ironically, one of the deceased was named, "Tumbleston."
(Some reports list the name as "Tubleston.")

(Broome, Australia) When you work as a diver on a pearl farm, there are many ways to "buy the farm." Mitchell Ether was my head diver for a couple of years. Known as Sharky, he was a can-do guy, not afraid to take risks to get the job done. He was a loose gun in a company of cowboys, and he seemed destined to make an original exit.

One example happened in Roebuck Bay. He miscalculated the amount of fuel needed for the air compressor, which pumps air to the divers below. Instead of following standard procedure, bringing everyone up and refuelling during a surface interval, he surfaced alone mid-dive to top up the fuel tank while the compressor was still running.

The deck was unsteady, and naturally he spilled some petrol. The compressor had been running for hours. Its red-hot exhaust ignited the spilled fuel, and the flames followed the fuel into the half-filled tank.

The dive boat was brand-new, and worth $200,000 fully kitted out for the pearl farm, including an oxygen bottle for resuscitations. The resulting mushroom cloud explosion from the oxy bottle startled observers all the way back in town, 5 kilometers away.

Luckily Sharky jumped back into the water before the big explosion, and he and his crew were picked up by another dive boat.

Despite this incident, Sharky was promoted to skipper of one of the larger vessels. He still found excuses to don the old dive gear, however. One such excuse was when a mooring rope tangled around the boat's propellor. Instead of asking an outfitted diver's assistance, Sharky chucked on his dive gear, started the compressor, clipped on his dive hose, and jumped off the back of the boat. But he neglected to take the boat out of gear...

The spinning prop soon entangled his dive hose and started reeling him in. His "lifeline" pulled him through the prop, and he died on the way to hospital. Sharky didn't have any children (that he knew of) but he did have a wicked sense of humour. I hope he fortives me for submitting him for a Darwin Award! He died doing what he always did... having a go.

(10 January 2007, East Germany) A 63-year-old man's extraordinary effort to eradicate a mole from his property resulted in a probable victory for the mole. The man had pounded several metal rods into the ground and connected them to a high-voltage power line, with the intent of rendering the subterranean realm uninhabitable.

Incidentally, the maneuver electrified the very ground he stood upon. He was found dead at his holiday property on the Baltic Sea. Police had to trip the main circuit breaker before venturing onto the property.

The precise date of the sexagenarian's demise could not be ascertained, but the electricity bill may provide a clue.

(14 January 2007, Augusta, West Virginia) Raising a new barn is an endeavor that brings a community together in a working celebration. Demolishing a barn, on the other hand, is a more solitary pursuit. A trio of friends set out to dismantle a dilapidated structure one bracing winter afternoon. Speaking of bracing...

There was wood to be cut, so it seemed sensible for one industrious friend to fire up his chainsaw. It was less sensible for him to set about severing crucial support posts. Carrying the weight of a full barn roof, those wooden beams were all that stood between the demolition workers and structural collapse.

With minimal forethought, this ill-fated lumberjack could have anticipated his soon-to-be deadly problem. It was all fun and games until the roof succumbed to the pull of gravity. As a consolation prize, the deceased was indeed successful at demolishing the barn.

(1 January 2007, Netherlands) The first Darwin Award of 2007 goes to Serge Sluijters, 36, who thought it reasonable to hover over an illegal professional firework and light the electronic ignition with an open flame. But this was not a traditional wick; it was a device designed for precision timing. The flame triggered an immediate launch, and the fireworks catapulted upwards, killing our amateur pyrotechnician enroute to a spectacular burst across the night sky.

Serge had purchased the firework legally in Belgium, but then transported it illegally into the Netherlands. His father disputed the notion that Serge was careless, characterizing his son as a man who gave due consideration to his acts. A witness told reporters, "His face disappeared. If someone has no face left, you know it's serious."

Every year, another idiot gets nominated for a Darwin Award for this same reason. Please, readers, keep your itchy fingers off the triggers of these dangerous fireworks!
Hamilay
08-08-2007, 16:00
"His face disappeared. If someone has no face left, you know it's serious."

lolz
Tragedoria
09-08-2007, 00:25
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007.html