Now back to the story, as I said this particular machine was cornered off with tape. I was not actually there to look at this machine but been nosy I had a quick look at it. I noticed that two of the three large steel legs/stumps that hold it to the ground via large bolts had been broken.

One of the guys in the factory saw me looking at it and explained to me what had happened.

Apparently the operator was loading the machine up with fabric, this takes time especially when there

is a large length of fabric to go in. This guy had

a better idea than loading it by hand. On the lid

that closes down before the machine starts there is an interlock to stop the machine from starting. Either the interlock was faulty or the operator bypassed it. So his idea was that if he starts the

machine running it will pull the fabric in more quickly. It did, but somehow he got tangled and ended up been dragged into the machine with the cloth. Apparently all that was found left of him in the machine was his torso, the rest of him was sprayed around the room. The machine became unbalanced because of his torso and this is what snapped the legs of the machine.

The guy telling me the story then said to me that they where still finding bits of him still. Needless to say I quickly finished my job and exited sharply.

This is definately true as another engineer that I know helped to clean the mess up some time before I was due there.

Note: Safety interlocks are there for a reason. If its broke fix it, and never bypass them.

Submitted on 09/08/2005

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: 1998

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Kelly said:
Neutral: Personal Account
I'll accept this as a personal account. Is there any possibility that this made the local news and you can send in a link to a news article?

Tracy said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
This is stupid enough - if you can supply a verifiable link, it's a potential DA

James said:
Neutral: Urban Legend
I took the liberty of researching hydro extractors, and also checked Snopes.com, and though I really enjoyed your excellent and descriptive write-up I would need some sort of verifiable evidence that this isn't another variation of the "Man in the Washing Machine" urban legend. I looked online and cannot find anything about anyone being killed by a hydro-extractor. As well-written as this submission is, I will have to bite my lip and vote urban legend until verifiable evidence surfaces...

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