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(15 January 2008, Sweden) The Darwin Awards have celebrated many
bone-headed things burglars do in the commission of their crimes. For
instance, taking a shortcut down a 55-foot sheer rock face.
Early one morning, two men broke into a gymnasium (high school) east of
Stockholm. After a profitable stroll through the building, they were
startled by a janitor. They raced out of the building into the pre-dawn
darkness. Fearing imminent detection, they took a shortcut to safety--down
the face of a steep 55-foot rock escarpment. But in selecting this
convenient shortcut, they failed to consider three crucial facts:
First, it was pitch black. Due to the northern latitude, the sun rises
late in Sweden. Second, it had rained during the night. And third, the
rock in eastern Sweden is granite, the type of rock that is polished into
posh floors and fancy countertops. The danger of slippery granite is a
well-known fact for residents of the area.
Escaping down a granite cliff, in the rain, in the dark? Try tilting a
slab of polished granite, pouring water over it, and making a controlled
descent while carrying a load of loot. This is the province of mountain
goats, not humans hoping to pass on their genes. In short, one of the
burglars slipped and fell head-over-heels to his death, bringing a new
meaning to "the crack of dawn."
His worldly riches were scattered around him.
ORIGINAL SUBMISSION
DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2008
Submitted by: Katarina Wikholm
Reference: aftonbladet.se
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Slippery When Wet
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