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Darwin Awards
2006 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Woman Killed By Own Car

2006 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

(Note: Here's a candidate for self-selection. I am very familar with the roads in question.)

26-year-old Natividad Andrea Torres, of Wheeling, Illinois, was westbound on Lake-Cook Road in Buffalo Grove, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. She was just east of Milwaukee Avenue, but she may have missed the exit onto that road, which was a few hundred feet further east.

So she decided to back up her car. In the center lane of three westbound lanes. At 10:38 AM on a Thursday, when traffic on Lake-Cook Road tends to be brisk.

What is interesting is that, at 10:38 AM on Thursday, July 28, 2006, the traffic on Lake-Cook Road was even light enough for anyone to contemplate stopping their car in the middle of the road, much less driving it in reverse. But Torres apparently didn't want to take a detour to reach her destination; she wanted to exit at Milwaukee Avenue. So she stopped her car, opened the driver's door, leaned out, and began to back up her car. At least, that's what may have happened. We're speculating, because Torres isn't around to tell us the real story.

So, anyway, she was backing up her car, with the driver's door open, when she fell out of the car. 'Click it or ticket' didn't seem to be a thought with her. She fell out of the car, and rolled under the car. She was dragged for a short distance before the car rolled over her. Head and leg injuries ensued; those injuries were fatal. Torres lay in the road while the car continued its journey.

Its bloodlust was not yet sated, the car sought another victim. Driverless, it crossed over the westbound lanes of Lake-Cook Road and ran up onto a grassy area. There it spun around and regained the roadbed. An eighteen-wheeler, also westbound in the center lane, was struck by the vicious vehicle. The car jammed under the rear wheels of the truck's trailer. Fortunately, the truck driver was not injured, nor were any other vehicles involved in the situation.

Local police authorities are investigating, of course. One guess in that the floor mat on the driver's side of the car had become stuck under the accelerator pedal, causing the car to go "out of control".

As if the car needed a reason.

Submitted on 07/28/2006

Submitted by: Ed. Floden
Reference: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 2006

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Thanks, Ed. For the record, your write up on this is the BEST of the lot thus far! Nevertheless, aside from the lack of detail (which most of the stories of this nature seem to share in common), this really doesn't show me any above-average stupidity. Yes, backing up is stupid, but we STILL don't know why (or even how) she managed to fall out of her vehicle.


Fitzroy said:
Definitely Toss: Other
Hey, one of my favorite bars from my Chicago days was on Milwaukee Avenue. I do like that we're getting more nuance on this story, but I still don't see it as a clearcut Darwin Award incident. As such, I still cannot endorse this prospect. Yet the submission and effort put into it are both appreciated.


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