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(HM)Recycled Bullets.
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Darwin Awards
2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Blank Brain Shooting Blanks

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Darwin says no. This one is more about a well-known actor, than about novel stupidity. But thanks for the submission.
Jon-Erik Hexum was the quintessential pretty-boy, renowned for his looks but snickered at by many for his unwarranted cocksureness. He had been in several TV series and B-list movies, but was finally coming into his own as a regular on the CBS series "Cover Up" in 1984.

Hexum was noted by several colleagues to have been fascinated with the Russian Roulette scenes in the popular movie Deer Hunter, which he had discussed often. Following the filming of a scene in the TV series in which Hexum had fired several blank rounds from a .44 Magnum, he and other cast members again entered into a discussion of the Deer Hunter scenes. Apparently not understanding that despite the lack of a lead projectile blank rounds create significant amounts of compressed gases which propel the wadding out of the barrel with great force, Hexum put the barrel of the gun to his temple and with a smirk said, "Let's see if I've got one for me."

He did. Following a loud explosion Hexum lay screaming in agony on the set. He was quickly driven to Beverly Hills Medical Center, but even after hours of surgery there was little that could be done to repair the injury inflicted by fragments of bone driven into his brain. He was declared brain dead 6 days later, and in partial mitigation of the Darwinian nature of his final act, his organs were donated, at least granting further life to others.

Submitted on 05/04/2007

Submitted by: Dr. Roger Wagner
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
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>> Moderator Scores <<

Graham said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I vote to keep this one, if only for the sheer stupidity of holding a firearm to one's head. Will they ever learn? Apparently not. Thanks, Roger.


James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Hexum's demise was news when it happened years ago. Oddly enough, there is NOTHING in our archives on Hexum, so in light of his classic take on "Hey, fellaz, watch THIS!", I too will nominate him for an award. For cryin' out loud, blanks are almost as dangerous at close range as bullets! Thanks for submitting, Doc!


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