Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
At-Risk Survivors
Slush Pile
2010 December Rejects
Real life frogger player hit by SUV
She Didn't Know the Gun was Loaded
Shot on Fool's Day
Man Shoots Self In Butt
Electrofying Train Ride
Man Severs Safety Line - Oh Shucks
Ramming Speed!
The wall allways wins
One Massage to Many
Father and Daughter Killed in Fire
Pedestrian bridge is for suckers
Woman strangles self
Woman Dies from a NECK massager
Hit by SUV while playing Frogger
Cops: Man playing real-life 'FroggV
Man playing real-life Frogger hurt
Hit by SUV playing human frogger
Neck Massager Strangles Woman
Lakewood man commits suicide
I Need To Get A (Extra) Life
At least the car is still running
Russian roulette for One
Cops: Man Playing Real-Life 'Frogge
Real Life Frogger FAIL
man-playing-real-life-frogger-hit-b
Man playing 'Frogger' hit by SUV
Blown Away by Sex Oklahoma Style
Frogger go SPLAT
Man Playing Real Life Frogger Hit
Cops: Man playing real-life 'Frogge
You Frogger
Cops: Man playing real-life 'Frogge
Cops: Man playing real-life 'Frogge
Its a GAS
5 teens foud dead in FL motel room
Stupid your kid on motorcycle
Darwin Awards self-recognition
Woman dies in Bizarre car crash
Playing in flood waters
At Risk Survivor: The Match Bomb
CERN's LHC
Oklahoma Driver Arrested After Post
Man Dies After Jumping In Front Of
died from carbon monoxide poisoning
Kinetic Enery? What's that?
Matthew Besner's final moments
Killer potatoes
Man Killed in Wood Chipper Accident
I will pass on the Kayak Thank you
South Brunswick man dies from burns
Family watch in horror as 'daredevi
Drunk vs Shark
Gift Grenade
In memoriam of a Hungarian partisan
Burglar calls police for a ride aft
Voluntary Removal
Clay Duke, Fla School Board Gunman.
Mercury
California man killed after slippi
Car crush
He stabs himself in his sleep
Snow problem
Flavio the retard with no bullets
Inside BBQ
Idiots and Ice Don't Mix
Sounds like a Loony Toons Cartoon
"Go ahead, I'll catch it!"
In Hot Water
Wood Chipper Eats Man
How much wood would a woodchuck chu
School board shooting (Video)
hunter kills himself
china:男子半夜穿登山服配垂降装备从32楼坠亡
Teen dies after circumcising self
Man dies after circumcising self
Denture Death
Self-circumcision doesn't end well
Man who was rescued on Madrids metr
Headless KCK corpse a suicide
Train tags a trio
Geronimo
Oxygen Tents can be bad for your he
Cops shoot at a van backfiring
Asking Friend To Shoot Him
Suicidal Bomber
Premature Bombulation
Quintuple backward somersaults
Theives target Edmonton Free Store
Stockholm suicide bomber kills onlf
Body found in Milton, MA
Thieves target Edmonton free store
Over The Shoulder Trick Shot - Fail
Suicide bomber in Stockholm
A lot of smoke and a certain death.
A lot of smoke and a certain death.
from Bend Oregon
Man who fled scene of hit-and-run n
Flashbulb Prank Backfires ...
DA: Teen found near Boston likely f
Teen falls from plane
Transformers are dangerous
airplane stowaway in wheel well
North Carolina teen may have fallen
Teen lands without plane
Out of the blue
On thin ice
Semi-naked lovers found asphyxiated
Man drinks acid and die
Bled to death for cheating 's insur
Woman versus train
Then why is it in the kitchen?
Another Darwin
Man Impaled By Deer Antler In Crash
what came first?
Chimney Sweep Snuffs It
He's Hit The Post!
Man killed in freak gardening accid
The Petrol Bomber and the lamp post
Two die in 'awful tragedy'
Pleas to stop car ignored
Home Damaged By Mower Fire In Bedr
Dumbstruck
Russina Roulette NM
Aussie reveller dives from balcony
Tree Fall
Man Drowns/Breaks Neck after police
mower repair
St Joseph (MO) Home Destroyed
Boy slides a handrail and falls
Fw: [Sadhu Sanga] Darwinsm Dead at
Samuel
Chimney Death
No helmet motorbiker
Passenger drops cruise ship anchor
Would u like it rare or well done?
Brilliant Escape at 60MPH
Death by his own pet cobra
Look Out Below
Boy Crictictaly injured
Didn't Hear His Train a Comin'
Daily leak proves fatal
That's a big no, no!
He didn't miss it by much
The Finnish Hell
Older Rejects 
 
~ Random Story ~
Email Alert!
NEW! Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2010 Slush Pile

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

Didn't Hear His Train a Comin'

2010 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

There once was a man from East Peoria in the habit of walking to work along train tracks. Perhaps walking parallel to the rail line at a good distance would have been no trouble. Alas, at least on this occasion, the pedestrian commuter decided to walk directly on the tracks. Not content with the birdsong of a Midwestern November afternoon, he chose to treat himself to selections from his mp3 player. Guarding against the chill, he also raised his hood and pulled it tight.

Though well-bundled and well-entertained, this intrepid pedestrian also cut himself off from any disturbing noises. In fact, he completely failed to be disturbed by the blaring whistle and ringing alarm bells warning of an oncoming locomotive. Witnesses report no apparent reaction by the doomed man in spite of the powerful sounds railroad workers employed in an effort to avoid the accident. In an instant, he went from "lost in the music" to simply lost.

I believe this is a strong candidate both on its face (non-suicidal adult dying as a direct consequence of spectacularly stupid behavior) and because it conveys a valuable warning in an age when more and more people let personal electronic devices render them oblivious to their surroundings. Treating an actively utilized train track as if it was a hiking path is generally unwise. Voluntarily removing the sense of hearing from the situation really raises it all to another level, a level I believe is Darwin Award-worthy.

Below is a short list of media references for research and verification purposes . . .

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1384147728/Authorities-investigating-fatal-train-wreck-involving-pedestr

http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x999956242/Train-kills-pedestrian

http://www.centralillinoisnewscenter.com/news/local/Man-Killed-on-East-Peoria-Train-Tracks-111070374.html

http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=150116

Submitted on 12/01/2010

Submitted by: Jason S. (a.k.a. Fitzroy)
Reference: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1384147728/Authorities-investigating-fatal-train-wreck-involving-pedestr

Copyright © 2010 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Thanks, Jason, but there are literally thousands of train/pedestrian collisions every year in the USA alone, and many of them are the result of people listening to ipods and walking on tracks. We've also heard stories of people driving ATV's on tracks, sleeping/passed out on tracks, having sex on tracks, playing chicken with trains, etc.


Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
What Bruce said.


The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom

Keep yourself out of the gene pool!
A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item!
Friends don't let friends reproduce!
$13 for Pack of 4

 

 

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend