Charles Darwin at a green chalkboard.

1997 Darwin Awards

NEXT
PREV
?
Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.

Fatal Flasher
1997 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

21 December 1997, Texas
A Dallas man who was exposing himself to passing traffic died Friday night. Police were alerted by a motorist who had spotted Richard Hollis, 47, standing naked on a railroad trestle. When officers arrived, Hollis was standing under the trestle, still naked. As officers approached, he grabbed his clothes and ran back onto the railroad trestle. He leapt from the trestle, apparently aiming for a concrete support underneath, but missed and fell 35 feet to the ground. He died at Parkland hospital an hour later.

Reference: Dallas Morning News 15 July 1999, San Francisco
A drunken 20-year old woman was standing next to the railroad tracks intending to flash her breasts at the engineer. As the train swept past, the draft swept her off her feet and under the train, breaking her elbows. She was charged with a misdemeanor, and died several days later in the hospital.

Submitted by Greg Nieto and Frostansuz
Reference: KCBS News Radio.

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2022

Previous Directions Next