Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
Honorable Mentions
Urban Legends
Personal Accounts
Slush Pile
2008 September Slush
(x)How Not To Perform A Kidnapping
x:Red light means stop.
x:Welcome home Ike
DA:A Very Early Retirement Plan
x:Drown in the desert
x:Balls Away!
Why I don't tailgate
x:Frolics with Fireworks
x:NOT AGAIN! STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
x:Blasting caps in pants
Dying for a Better View
Oh say can you steal...
firewood logging 101
Early Boarding
bridge ok, car and drive not
Brain Freeze
Crispy bolt cropper user
AK47 stuck in pants
Theif, Copper, Electricity
Wheres my hotdogs?
Alcohol a factor in gassing deaths
Personal Account - Soldier Show off
Ultimate Fighter 'Cleanses' Himself
Electrocuted whilst stealing cable
Man dies in tree-trimming accident
Shocked at Music Festival
Soft Drink Can Cannon
How My Brother & I Became Adults
Man Dies Rescuing Hat
Passed the Too Dumb to Work Test
Old bag
Lovebirds plunge from Bronx roof
Costly Copper
Bum rap / Genetic modification
Balloon Popper
Darwin Award candidate
Men vrs Ants
Older Slush 
 
~ Random Story ~
Newsletter
Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

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!

Oh say can you steal...

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Translation of the story from the reference above (couldn't find an English version):

Ukrainian flag killed a man

The 43 years old resident of Ukrainian town of Putiwl (Sumy region) died near the flagstaff holding the biggest national flag in the city. The unemployed metal scrap hunter aimed to steal the metal cable from the flagstaff erected in the town center for the Flag Day (August 23). He went to his business at night but not before loading himself with some booze. However as soon as the malefactor cut the cable, he was stabbed in the chest by the heavy metal pin falling from 20 meters, that was holding the flag itself. The wounded man died in the emergency room of the local hospital. According to the surgeon he had a wound above his collarbone, left lung was punctured and the lung filled with blood. Reanimation attempts have failed.

Submitted on 09/08/2008

Submitted by: Gennadiy Titov
Reference: http://www.obozrevatel.com/news/2008/9/7/257042.htm, also http://www.expert.org.ua/?st=3&id=66604;

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I think this goes above and beyond all the recent dumb copper thief stories we've gotten. It's one thing to steal cables. It's another to try to steal the cables holding up a 20 meter long flagpole. Thanks, Gennadiy!


James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I fully agree with Bruce! This certainly is more imaginative/cartoony than the usual electrical cable theft stories we get, and there's that ol' element of comeuppance as well! Thanks, Gennadiy!


$16 Tree of Life T-Shirt / Grey
Heavy 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T with an inadvisable tree-sawing situation on the front... and a few scattered leaves on the back! Click on the image for a full view. This one is not based on any story, but shows an amusingly apt situation.
Buy the Tree of Life T-Shirt

 

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend