Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
Honorable Mentions
Urban Legends
Personal Accounts
Slush Pile
2008 March Slush
Yamashita Treasure
(Hmm)Ugg Boots and Level Crossings
(HM)Workplace Fling
DA:Prank turned punishment
(Hmm)Kitty-Kitty-Kitty!
(Hmm)Where there's Smoke ...
(?)Police identify father, son killed
(HM)Roundabout Rocket
(HM)Orcas Eco-terrorism
(HM)Headshot
DA:Steel is valuable...
(?)Real life Frogger
(?)Runs in the Family
(?)Alcohol and me don't mix
(HM)Burners can't fly
(?)How stupid can you be??
(?)Flash Flood Runners
(?)woman + cellphone + train = splat
(?)Yakuza shoots his own head
DA:Crash Test Cart
bye bye testicles
Father knows best
Volcano climber cheats death
Russian Roulette -Honorable Mention
Be sure it's out before tossing it.
Man electrocuted stealing copper
Ticket to ride
Sex with Lock Dangerous
You ride INSIDE the car
Fork Lift Truck Doughnut
I think I forgot something...
Man blown out of truck dies
Redneck bee exterminator (writeup)
fireworks and diesel fuel
Stealing a safe and dying under it
Teen flying kite from car
End of the line
Sex change... Shotgun sex change.
How not to tame a croc
Return of 'Where there's Smoke"
gotta go
Drifting and a 'razed' view
Teen love caught hanging in the bal
Let's see how you measure up!
Man killed while beating would-be r
Honourable mention - total idiot te
Man dies when wind flips mattress
Desert party brawl turns fatal with
Taking out the Trash...
Shortcut to street cred
Modern day tarzan
Addicted to Butane
OWCH!!!
How Not to Kill a Pet Rat
Party Guest Tragedy
Woman killed by train
Stealing Cooper Wire = Deadly Fire
The French Fries Experience
Shocking sex death ruled homicide
Man electrocuted in theft of wire,
Thieves risk lives to steal metal
barbacue pit
Diving drunk while sleeping
Australian Man Gunned Down in Drive
Millions of pieces
Don't Go Bouldering with a Whacko
An erotic- accident
Older Slush 
 
~ Randomizer ~
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!

Prank turned punishment

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Darwin says, "Accepted into the Archive."


ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:

(from my archives, 31 years in the ER. This is a true event, you cannot make these up.)

Traveling home after the bars had closed down, two ranch-hands came across some road work. The telephone company was removing the above ground telephone lines and burying them deep in the ground.

When the lines crossed the country road, the telephone company dug a trench half way across the road, leaving the other half open to let the rural traffic pass the trench. The telephone company would then fill in the trench and dig out the other side of the road.

This night, the ranch-hands decided to play a prank. They stopped their pickup, and moved the flashing stands from around the trench, to the good side of the road.

However, in the morning local farmers called the sheriff to report a smashed up pickup. Inside were the two ranch-hands.

Tests proved they were the ones that moved the flashing stands. Tests also showed the ranch hands had safely passed the area, then hours later came back. Further tests showed they were driving at an excessive speed, with an impressive amount of alcohol in their systems.

However, no test could show if the ranch-hands forgot their prank, or chose to see what would happen if someone hit the trench at the rate they were traveling.

In the end, they exited this world because of their own misdeed, proving that no good prank goes unpunished.

Submitted on 03/03/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference:

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: Personal Account
Yet another classic from the ER archives! Those two ranch hands sure got what they deserved, and we got another humorous tale. Thanks again, and keep them coming!


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Ah, divine comeuppance!!! Yep, the jerks had it coming to them! Another good one from the good ol' ER!


The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

$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