The Darwin Awards 

HOME
Darwin Awards
At-Risk Survivors
Slush Pile
2002 Personals
Fuzzy Fights Back
Bridge Over Frozen Water
Stag Party
Exploding Latrine
Chemistry Lesson
Scrambled Eggs
Lion Lunch
The Barbequed Chef
The Answer Is...
Rectum Nearly Killed'm
Famous Last Words
Mixing Bread Dough
Wag the Dog
Cure for Lice
Repeat Offender
Bridge Work
Electric Safety Lesson
Sexy Snack Slays
Chainsaw Slingshot
Pocket M80
Electric Eccentric
Anchor Man
Christmas Fireworks
Acetylene Fun? Not!
Amateur Roofing
Home Improvement
Copper Clod
Do Not Drink
Flashy Chef
Laser Dim Bulb
Pain in the Neck
Backyard Body Surfing
Blasting Expertise
Watch!... Cool!...
Other Personal Years 
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Vintage
 
~ Random Story ~
Email Alert!
NEW! Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  


2002 Personal Accounts
The Darwin Awards salutes the spirit portrayed in the following personal accounts, submitted by loyal (and sometimes reluctant) readers. Next Prev Random

 

Acetylene Fun? Not!
2002 Personal Account

(1993, Ontario, Canada) After I borrowed a welding torch and used it cut up an old water tank on my family's property, I found myself with leftover partial bottles of oxygen and acetylene. It seemed wrong to waste all that gas, particularly since I had heard about fuel-oxygen explosives, and had always wanted to test the concept.

I extinguished the torch by setting it to the "leanest" possible burn, and snuffing it by smacking the tip against a flat surface. I then filled a large plastic garbage bag (13 gallons) with oxygen and acetylene from the torch, and inserted a 6" visco cannon fuse.

I placed the homemade explosive on a big rock by the river. I remember lighting the fuse, and I remember backing away as it began to burn. The next thing I knew, I returned to consciousness in the river!

Both of my eardrums were broken, and I was bleeding from both ears and my nose. My beard and exposed hair were singed and curly, but oddly, there were no burns on my skin. I later discovered a perfect image of the folds, seams and buttons of the cotton shirt I was wearing, imprinted as bruises on my chest and arms. It took months for my eardrums to heal, and I still can't hear high frequencies well.

What happened? Perhaps a spark from the fuse touched the bag. Perhaps the bag had a small leak. Whatever the cause, I'm lucky to be alive. At the emergency room, the workers said, "When we get a welder here, he usually dies."

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2020

Awful? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Great?
Hate it! Love it!

TheBigBadWolf says, " This account is clearly fraudulent. There are several counts on which the fraud perpetrator is misinformed. 1) A trash bag filled with flammable gas will not explode. it will simply melt, leaving the gas to ignite. Since the flammable gas is now in a free state, there is insufficient pressure to generate a shockwave of the magnitude needed to rupture ear drums or to leave the bruises indicated in the account. 2) If the account was real, the rupturing of an ear drum does not heal. It requires extensive surgery to repair; a surgery that is rarely successful. I would like to meet a man whose recuperative powers are this great, as I wish to learn his secret.

Previous Directions Next


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2022