Nighttime, a two-lane highway with no median, outskirts of Munich, Germany. Young German actress Julia Palmer-Stoll, 21, sees a hedgehog scurrying across the road. After swerving to avoid it, she promply pulls off the road, hops out of her car, and runs out to save the hedgehog.

But--- mistake number one, she forgets to pull the handbrake before getting out of her car and running out onto the highway. The car rolls backwards down a slope, and the headlights shine directly into oncoming traffic.

And, mistake number, two, the young actress is dressed, as most young actresses, completely in dark clothing.

Needless to describe in detail what happens next. An oncoming car, blinded by her headlights, is not able to see the darkly dressed actress standing in the middle of the highway, and hits her head-on.

Tragically, the young woman removed herself permanently from the gene pool. But miraculously, the hedgehog, protected by her arms, survived to tell the tale.

Submitted on 09/12/2005

Submitted by: Elizabeth Lamberts
Reference: Stern, 10 June 2005

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Greg said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
This seems to be a true story and the girl's name was Julia Palmer-Stoll. Definite DA for me, getting out on an autobahn to save a headgehog! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! (I can't type it enough.) And assorted animal groups seem to be hailing her as a heroine ... go figure.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
While I am aware that this is a repeat, I humbly beg your indulgence while I add my $.02. A) she MISSED the animal. B) she seemed to forget her own sense of self-preservation. Most of us love animals, but Ms. Stoll seemed determined to interfere with the course of natural selection (and I repeat: she MISSED the hedgehog!). C) her love of animals nonwithstanding, she could have excersized a BIT more caution. In the end, natural selection took its course, though perhaps not its intended victim.

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