This was a mission filled with objectives and situations that the US Marines had become quite good at dealing with. The perimiter was set with no communication problems. All the roads were blocked by HUMVVS, 7 tons, and lightly armored vehicals. Side roads were being patroled by dismounted infantry with military K-9 units. Two Cobra helicopters had been launched from the nearby allied base and sharpshooters were manning the four rooftop corners of the bank. No one but the Marines would be handling the money that day.

As cars approched the blocking points, the Marines quickly turned them away, being careful not to let any vehical break that 50 meter saftey line, by gun point if necessary. All was well, until one car wouldn't stop. The first attempt was a Marine waving his arms in the air. This did not work. The second attempt would include two Marines waving their arms in the air and shouting. This, too, failed to stop the car. By this point the suspect was only seconds away from breaking that invisable defensive line. The moving car was quickly becoming a serious threat, but the Marines remained calm. A flare was shot at the windshield and bounced off exploding beautifully directly behind the car. No good. This was it. The car had broken the 50 meter line. Still, wanting to do the right thing, a Marine yelled out that he was firing a warning shot, and pegged the hood of the car. The Marines meant business, and everyone knew it. To the surprise of the Marines on the blocking position, the driver gunned the engine. There were no more options left, shoot to kill. The vehical came to a crashing halt about 30 meters from the Marine position as rifles, two medium and one light machine gun, riddled the car with bullet holes. No mercy. After a few minutes of observation, the Marines decided to investigate the vehicle. The driver had been struck by five bullets to the chest. However, no explosives or weapons were found in the car. So the Marines did what their training told them to do. They put the driver on a strecher and rushed him to the hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the doctors quickly recognized the wounded driver and told the Marines why he never stopped. The driver was LEGALLY BLIND!! He never saw the Marines trying to wave him off. When the flare exploded, the driver must have thought that a roadside bomb had gone off, and when the warning shots hit his car, he could have thought that he was caught in the middle of a firefight between Marines and terrorists. Thus, stepping on the gas pedal to escape a potential death trap and unintentionally speeding towards Marines blocking the way. About two hours of suffering, the driver died from his wounds while in surgury.

Submitted on 05/17/2005

Submitted by: John
Reference: Early 2005

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Neutral: Personal Account
Without back up, it's a PA, but the stupidity here is transcendant. Legally blind and driving a car in a war zone!

Kelly said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I remember hearing about this incident on the news when it happened, but I don't recall hearing that the driver was blind.

Jack said:
Neutral: Personal Account
I have to agree with Daniel.

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