Roof Diver Scores 8.5 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
This is a personal account of my own effort to win a Darwin award. It happened at Lake Louise Alberta, Canada in the summer of 1985. I was living at the hotel site in staff accomodation nicknamed "old Res" . This was a three and a half storey Guest Lodge that had been rebuilt as dorms. I was visiting a friend on the top floor and, after consuming several bottles of wine, I decided to get some fresh air by sittng on the window sill with my legs out the window. I had recently purchased a new motorcycle and I wanted to see if it was still parked where I left It so I leaned forward to take a look. Having confirmed that the bike was still there I then leaned forward again for a second look, slipped off the window sill and began sliding down the slippery cedar shingles towards the edge of the roof. "No problem" I thought. "I'll just catch my heels in the rain gutter and......Uh Oh! There is no rain gutter!"
Despite the wine I have a pretty clear impression of the next few seconds. The first thing I remember thinking was "This is going to hurt." Then I saw a large white square below me and some how I flipped myself over in the air and landed on it. There was a loud noise and suddenly I was lying on the ground thinking" My God! I'm still alive!"
It turned out that the white square was a small pick-up truck with a cap on the back. My landing crushed the cap, bent the roof and shattered the front windshield but the truck's suspension broke my fall and I wound up completely un-hurt except for a bruise on my left forearm. I left a note under the wiper and returned to my friend's room considerably more sober than when I left.
A few days later the owner of the truck came to my room and asked in somewhat awed tones if I was alright. I assured him that I was and asked about his truck. H told me that his insurance would cover the damage and so all ended well, but I can't help but wonder how he explained the "accident" to his insurance company. Submitted on 12/15/2002
Submitted by:
Ian Martin
Reference:
Lake Louise, Alta,Canada,1985
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
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