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 Newspaper, 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.

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 He had consulted an out-of-date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.