 Niagara Falls
2000 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin
 (1 October 1995, Canada)
Horseshoe Falls is on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.
Over a decade ago, a daredevil named Robert equipped himself with a homemade rocket-parachute contraption and rode a jet ski over Horseshoe Falls at full throttle. He planned to ignite the rocket to propel him clear of the falls, then deploy the parachute and float down to the river below, where he would be fished out by the Maid o' the Mist tour boat.
But the water had a dampening effect on his equipment. The rocket failed to ignite and the parachute failed to deploy. However, the third phase of his scheme did work according to plan. His corpse was recovered from the river below by the Maid o' the Mist staff.
Robert was married but had no children, making him a perfect Darwin contender.
Reference: Los Angeles Times, official Niagara Falls websites.
Robert's Obituary
More Niagara Falls Daredevils (halfway down page.)
DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2009
Submitted by: Dave
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Gregg says, "There is one important piece of information missing, and it really completes the story! I have lived in Niagara Falls most of my whole life and know this story well. The real reason the man died was because he could not swim; he drowned! He survived the crash, but didn't think to wear a life jacket..."
John Paul Minda says, "He made a video tape prior to the incident claiming that it was to attract attention to the 'plight of the homeless.'"
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