2000 Darwin Award

The stupidity displayed by the participants in the following tales stops short of the ultimate Darwin Awards sacrifice. Nevertheless, we salute the spirit and innovation of their misadventures.

Boomerang Effect DISQUALIFIED BY DARWIN (Fall 2000, Virginia) A man found himself paralyzed -- and hence unable to reproduce -- when he made the fatal decision to swerve and hit a dog with his truck. He missed the dog, and the vehicle careened out of control on the gravel road and tipped over an embankment. His son and a passenger were rescued, unhurt. No one was wearing a seat belt. Police found a cooler of beer in the back, and empty cans in the cab of the overturned vehicle. An officer stated, "They were out joy riding, bought lottery tickets, and just cut through that gravel road." As it turned out, the wrong lottery paid off. DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2005 Submitted by: Pep Reference: Carey D. Johnson of The Lynchburg News & Advance DISQUALIFIED: No astounding misapplication of judgment. This story describes a case of poetic justice, but the action of swerving to hit a dog is simply not an outstandingly stupid decision, even though it shows an unappealing lack of empathy for animals. Most people who swerve to hit dogs survive. Although the story is disqualified on the grounds that it lacks excellence, the perpetrator is certainly a candidate for an instant karma award.

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