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2008 February Slush
(DA)Chalk one up for the dog.
(DA)Slip Sliding Away
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Top of the train
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A good thought gone bad
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feeling tyred - near miss
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arrange your own hit
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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

On the Piste

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Accepted into the Archive.
ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:

www.telegraph.co.uk (Confirmed by Darwin)
- - -

Briton dies sliding down Italian piste on mat

By Lucy Cockcroft and Malcolm Moore Last Updated: 10:37pm GMT 03/02/2008

A Briton has been killed after sliding down an Italian ski slope at night on a rubber mat.

The Foreign Office says David Monk, 46, died from severe head and chest injuries when he careered straight into barriers at the bottom of the piste.

He and three other friends had removed the padding from the barriers and used it to sled down the slope.

They then collided with the exposed metal fencing.

One of the men, named as Richard Watkins, 41, of Hatfield, Herts, is recovering in hospital after the accident in Sauze d'Oulx. Another needed medical attention. The fourth friend is still missing after he wandered away "bloodied and distressed".

It is understood the men, who were on a skiing holiday, had been drinking before they attempted the stunt at 12.30am at the resort, 50 miles west of Turin in northern Italy.

A source at the resort said: "The men had all been drinking when they tore off the padding that covers the barriers at the bottom of the slope. Then went to the top of the slope and slid down on them.

"Ironically they crashed into that same barrier and straight into the un-padded metal.

"Two of the men were taken to hospital. One has head injuries but they are not thought to be life-threatening. The other had minor injuries and was discharged. A fourth man was seen at the accident scene, he was screaming hysterically, bare chested and covered in blood. While the medics were tending to Mr Monk the fourth man vanished."

A Foreign Office spokesman said the family of Mr Monk, of Ware, Herts, had been told of the tragedy.

Sauze d'Oulx is hugely popular with British skiers looking for a lively party atmosphere and bar culture.

One holiday guide describes the resort as having a "long-standing and justified reputation as one of the party capitals of the snow, where pub culture takes precedence, despite valiant attempts by the village fathers to engineer a more family-oriented environment."

Submitted on 02/03/2008

Submitted by: Steve Casey
Reference: UK, Daily Telegraph, Feb 3rd 2008

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
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>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Looks like we have a winner, Steve! To rip the padding off the very barrier one then crashes into is stupid AND perhaps the penultimate comeuppance! The visual is cartoony, and I can almost hear the "thonk" as mook hits metal. No doubt there will be litigation, and more barriers/restrictions on what should be good safe fun. Anyway, this has all the ingredients of a classic DA, and yes...the link does work! Thanks!


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I could have sworn I've heard this story before. It has all the qualities of an urban legend - removing a safety mat then killing oneself by crashing into the pole that the mat had been protecting. But given that this is on a reputable news site I'll certainly vote for it. Thanks, Steve!


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Salute the sheriff who inadvertently shot himself--twice! Witness the insurance defrauder who amputated his leg with a chainsaw! Heed the story of the farmer who avoided bee stings by sealing his head in a plastic bag! Cringe at the man crushed by a branch he'd just severed... directly over his head!

123 new stories, 18 full-page illustrations, plus discussions of transgenic animals, the origin of life, and more.

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