Articles behind "The Darwin Awards"

Each article is headed with the keyword from the corresponding verse.
Clicking on the keyword will take you back to that verse of the song.

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shotgun

From the 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.

bullet

From the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

As Thurston Poole, 33, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock were returning home one dark night after a frog gigging trip, the headlights of Poole's truck malfunctioned: the fuse had blown. They had no replacement, but Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullet from his pistol fit perfectly. With the headlights working again, the men proceeded.

After about 20 miles the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the right testicle. The vehicle swerved sharply off the road and struck a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident, but required surgery to repair the other wound; Wallis was released after treatment for a broken clavicle.

The county deputy remarked, "I've been a trooper for ten 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." Upon being notified of the wreck, Poole's wife asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck.

avalanche

From ABC News, Jan. 15, 2005:

Park City, Utah -- Rescue workers spent all day Saturday digging through a massive snow pile but found no traces of five people feared dead in a 300-yard-wide, 500-yard-long avalanche that cascaded down a Utah mountainside a day earlier. Exactly how many skiers were buried in the Friday afternoon snow slide remained unclear late Saturday afternoon.

Bruce Tremper, director of the Utah Avalanche Center, said the area beneath Dutch Drop had already been heavily skied by those who ignored avalanche warnings, which included signs plainly saying the danger was high and "YOU CAN DIE" in bold print with a skull and crossbones.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac


beans

From Bloomburg News Service:

A terrible diet and room with no ventilation are being blamed for the death of a man who was killed by his own gas. There was no mark on his body but autopsy showed large amounts of methane gas in his system. His diet had consisted primarily of beans and cabbage (and a couple of other things). [...] According to the article, "He was a big man with a huge capacity for creating 'this deadly gas'." Three of the rescuers got sick and were hospitalized.

wiener

From the Associated Press:

St. Louis - Robert Puelo, 32, was apparently being disorderly in a St. Louis market. When the clerk threatened to call police, Puelo grabbed a hot dog, shoved it in his mouth, and walked out without paying for it. Police found him unconscious in front of the store; paramedics removed the six-inch wiener from his throat, where it had choked him to death.

pistol

From the Calgary Sun, Sat., Dec. 28, 1996:

Vancouver (CP) - A man arguing over a love triangle accidentally shot himself in the groin, taking off his testicles and part of his penis. Police said the man was waving a .357 Magnum revolver around during the shouting match early yesterday. But when he stuffed it back in his pants the gun went off.

tiger

From the Associated Press, 12.21.2005
A suspected mugger being chased by security guards met a grisly end after he fled into a zoo and climbed into the tiger enclosure.

[...]

Zoo officials have said the Bengal tigers will not be destroyed because they were blameless. The tigers had been fed on Saturday and so did not eat the man because they were not hungry, according to media reports.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. [excerpt quoted as fair use] (Thanks to madfilkentist for bringing this one to my attention.)

time bomb

Darwin Awards winner for 1999.
5 September 1999, Jerusalem    In most parts of the world, the switch away from Daylight Saving Time proceeds smoothly. But the time change raised havoc with Palestinian terrorists this year.

Israel insisted on a premature switch from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time to accommodate a week of pre-sunrise prayers. Palestinians refused to live on "Zionist Time." Two weeks of scheduling havoc ensued. Nobody knew the "correct" time.

At precisely 5:30pm on Sunday, two coordinated car bombs exploded in different cities, killing three terrorists who were transporting the bombs. It was initially believed that the devices had been detonated prematurely by klutzy amateurs. A closer look revealed the truth behind the explosions.

The bombs had been prepared in a Palestine-controlled area, and set to detonate on Daylight Saving Time. But the confused drivers had already switched to Standard Time. When they picked up the bombs, they neglected to ask whose watch was used to set the timing mechanism. As a result, the cars were still en-route when the explosives detonated, delivering the terrorists to their untimely demises.


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last modified 2005-12-21