From mtbiker@u.washington.edu Tue Feb 24 21:36:02 1998 Received: from jason05.u.washington.edu (root@jason05.u.washington.edu [140.142.78.6]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP id VAA50352 for ; Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:36:00 -0800 Received: from dante21.u.washington.edu (mtbiker@dante21.u.washington.edu [140.142.15.71]) by jason05.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP id VAC50700; Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:35:59 -0800 Received: from localhost (mtbiker@localhost) by dante21.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.04) with SMTP id VAA29740; Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:35:58 -0800 Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:35:58 -0800 (PST) From: "T. Erickson" To: "K. Imanaka" cc: uwracing@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: FW: Darwin Award replay (fwd) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 00:30:52 -0500 (EST) From: bustorhymes@lycosmail.com To: mtbiker@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: FW: Darwin Award replay (fwd) ---- you wrote: > > It is once again time to vote for the Darwin Award nominees for 1996. > > > > As you know these nominees will not be contributing to the gene pool > > thankfully). You may recall last year's Darwin Award winner: The man who > > found out moments before making a 300 MPH dent in an Arizona cliff that > > the > > JATO (jet assist take off) rocket unit he'd strapped to his car could not > > be > > turned off once it was turned on.... > > > > The 1996 nominees are: > > > > NOMINEE #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 #2 [Kalamazoo Gazette, 4-1-95] > > James Burns, 34, of Alamo,Mich., was killed in March as he was trying to > > repair what police described 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. Burns' clothes caught on > > something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive > > shaft." > > > > NOMINEE #3 [Hickory Daily Record 12/21/92] > > Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in December in > > Newton, N.C., when, awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside > > his > > bed, he reached forthe phone but grabbed instead a Smith&Wesson .38 > > Special, > > which discharged when he drew it to his ear. > > > > NOMINEE #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 building's windows to visiting law > > students. > > Hoy previously had conducted demonstrations of window strength according > > to > > police reports. Peter Lawyers, 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 #5 [Bloomburg News Service, 25 March] > > 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). > > It > > was just the right combination of foods. It appears that the man died in > > his > > sleep from breathing the poisonous cloud that was hanging over his bed. > > Had > > he been outside or had his windows been opened, it wouldn't have been > > fatal. > > But the man was shut up in his near airtight bedroom. 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 one was hospitalized. > > > > NOMINEE #6 [1/29/96 The News of the weird.] > > Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously in 1989. He > > had > > spent several years awaiting South Carolina's electric chair on a murder > > conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. In March > > 1989,sitting on a metal toilet in his cell and attempting to fix his small > > TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted. > > > > NOMINEE #7["The Indianapolis Star", Wed., Dec. 4, 1996]. > > Cigarette lighter may have triggered fatal explosion Dunkirk, Indiana. 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 face, sheriff's > > investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural > > Dunkirk home about 11:30 p.m. Investigators said Pryor was cleaning a > > .54-caliber muzzleloader that had not been firing properly. He was using > > the > > lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited. > > > > NOMINEE #8 [AP, 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. > > > > NOMINEE #9 [Unknown] > > To poacher Marino Malerba, who shot a stag standing above him on an > > overhanging rock-and was killed instantly when it fell on him. > > > > NOMINEE #10 [Associated Press, Kincaid, W. VA] > > Blasting Cap Explodes in Man's Mouth at Party. A man at a party popped a > > blasting cap into his mouth and bit down, triggering an explosion that > > blew > > off his lips, teeth and tongue, state police said Wednesday. Jerry > > Stromyer, > > 24, of Kincaid, bit the blasting cap as a prank during a party late > > Tuesday > > night, said Cpl. M.D.Payne. 'Another man had it in an aquarium, hooked to > > a > > battery, and was trying to explode it," Payne said. "It wouldn't go off > > and > > this guy said, 'I'll show you how to set it off. " > > > > AND FINALLY, NOMINEE #11!!! [Arkansas Democrat Gazette], July 25, 1996: > > Two local men were seriously injured when their pick-up truck left the > > road > > and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday > > morning.Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly > > aftermidnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc and Billy Ray > > Wallis, > > 38, of Little Rock are listed in serious condition at Baptist Medical > > Center. The accident occurred as the two men were returning to Des Arc > > after a frog gigging trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole's pick-up > > 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 notice that the .22 caliber bullet 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 on east-bound toward the White River bridge. After > > traveling approximately twenty miles and just before crossing the river, > > the bullet apparently overheated, discharged and struck Poole in the right > > testicle. The vehicle swerved sharply to the right exiting the pavement > > and > > striking a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the > > accident, but will require surgery to repair the other wound. Wallis > > sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we > > weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his _____ off or we might both > > be > > dead" stated Wallis. "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", 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. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- Get free personalized email at http://www.lycosemail.com .