A naked man suffered burns to one-fifth of his body when he tried to set fire to a spider at a nudist resort in the NSW southern highlands.

The 56-year-old Sydney man tried to kill what he thought was a funnel web spider by pouring petrol down the spider's burrow and igniting it with a match, the NRMA CareFlight service said.

But the fuel exploded and the man was left with burns to 18 per cent of his body, on the upper leg and buttocks...

...Resort guests told emergency crews it was probably a harmless trapdoor spider and not a deadly funnel web, CareFlight said.

The man's lack of clothing probably contributed to the extent of his burns, the rescue chopper service said.

Submitted on 04/02/2006

Submitted by: Rob Eager
Reference: Sydney Morning Herald April 2

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I got a BIG kick out of this one. My wife even got a big kick out of this as I read it to her! This rather cartoony incident is a good example of complete overkill, and the fact that he was without protective (or ANY) clothing just adds to the humor of it all. Finally, pouring gas into a funnel-shaped orifice was the last straw. He may as well have fired a connon while peering down the barrel! Thanks, Rob, a keeper in my book!

Sheryl said:
Maybe Toss: Honorable Mention
Thanks for taking the time to submit the story, Rob. Do funnel-web's make funnel shaped burrows? I'm sort of letting it slide for the time being as the guy took no precautions to protect himself. I suspect it will take another couple of Moderators to make a final decision.

Jorge said:
Maybe Toss: Honorable Mention

Greg said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I'm with James. Playing with petrol while neked as a Jay Bird. Very dumb! And totally deserved! Poor spider... ;-)

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