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2008 February Slush
(DA)Chalk one up for the dog.
(DA)Slip Sliding Away
(HM)Mexican Divorce
(?)Seatbelt subterfuge kills driver
(?)Mamba kills Man
(Hmmm)Surfing the wrong wave
(?)Winched up
(DA)A Breathtaking View
Dynamite Defroster
(DA)On the Piste
(?)Die Hard
(DA)Chemistry Went Over Her Head
Brain Evacuation
(?)Darwin in heavy traffic
Man died after driving down boat ra
(HM)Shock Horror
(No)Swimming with the fish (bits)
no diving please
(DA)Hare today, gone tomorrow
(>)Living the High Life (On a Budget)
(DA)Stabbing suspect dies in car crash
Fatal Ski Slope Prank
Up, Up, and Away!
Top of the train
Killer locomotive
A good thought gone bad
Monk killed by own runaway lawnmowe
Bridges are lower than they appear
Inspiration + Youth + Explosives =
Manhole kills man, Dove in for Cana
Mattress Race
Roping a Bobcat
Tree felling made easy
Old shells never die
feeling tyred - near miss
(DA)4 Die In Dirtbike Collision
Wash those genes away
Just Say No
Man has friend shoot him to get off
BASE jumper succumbs to stupidity
A Mattress of Life and Death....
boat welding
Trail Blazing Gaffe
Tram drags man with him
Community service for teen who burn
Death by iPod?
If at first you don't succeed
The $500 Bullet
Please Take This Outside
It only works in the movies
Trailer burns when woman uses gas t
Man dies trying to beat train in Sa
BBQ Whippits
Sledding Accident
Two men burned in backyard blast
Miner nearly crushes himself
A fool and his bike
The Widow Maker
Redneck Bee Exterminator
Too Close For Comfort
arrange your own hit
Grocery Bang!
A tough act to swallow for student
Drain Surfing
Drove 2.5 miles on the wrong way
2 teens hurt by explosion while dri
Departing parted
I'm dying for a drink
Smoking related near miss
Smoky bar triggered fatal asthma at
Man's death linked to cotton swab u
putting your foot in it
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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!

The Widow Maker

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

(from my archives, 31 years in the ER. You cannot make these up.)

To a lumberman, a "widow maker" is a dead tree that rotted, fell, then had its fall to the ground interrupted by a living tree. At this point the "widow maker" leans against, and appears to support, the living tree. If someone tries to cut down the living tree without checking for a widow maker, the widow maker can live up to its name by falling on the unsuspecting person.

One individual noticed that the tree he was cutting down had a widow maker hung up in the upper branches. Intent on harvesting the live tree, the individual decided to cut the widow maker, along with his live tree. Probably, the lumberman determined that both trees would fall along the same line. But, the cuts failed to fall the widow maker or the live tree as planned.

The lumberman was found smashed under the live tree. The theory is that the widow maker rolled off. Since the lumberman chose to cut both trees, the change in weight on the living tree caused it to fall backwards, onto the lumberman. In the end, the live tree was the true widow maker.

Submitted on 02/18/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Usually, such shenanigans are found in classic cartoons, but I guess it happens in real life, too! Thanks, Doc!


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Since it's a PA I'll vote to keep this one despite my reservations. A lumberjacks job is a dangerous one, and this is an excellent example of that. He certainly should have thought things through a bit more thoroughly. Thanks for another great story.


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