The two friends met up on their quad bikes and began their all day drinking session at a local pub before lunchtime. They were joined by two brothers and the four then visited various local Inns by quad bike. The Black Mountains are beautiful but, like all mountains, must be treated with care and attention or they can become inhospitable.

Having enjoyed a good day out at several drinking holes, the party then spilt up to head home.

Wayne,a mechanic, perished after his 350cc Honda Big Red quad bike hit a grass verge on an unclassifed road. A passer-by found him lying in the road with a deep gash to his head. A paramedic arrived and pronounced him dead at 7.30pm. The pathologist said that Wayne had died from head and spinal injuries. He had over three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. The quad bike was examined by an expert who noted that the tyres stated that it should not be used on public roads. He also observed that a helmet may have ensured Wayne's suvival.

The two brothers made it back home without indident as they claimed to have only consumed "two or three shandies" (a combination of beer and lemonade) during the day. This, however, contrasts with evidence from a patron of one of the pubs they visited who had spoken to the Coroner.

Wayne's other drinking mate Martin also crashed at another location and fractured his skull, sternum and his right arm in three places. He also lost some of his hearing which may have helped when listening to the Corner's verdict. Martin stated at the inquested that "eight pints is a lot but we felt safe with ourselves."

The Coroner's response was understandably unsympathetic. "For Martin to tell me they were driving well and safley after drinking eight pints is an outrageous and fundamentally stupid thing to say."

He continued: "These young men behaved like morons...you should be ashamed of yourselves."

One concern about qualification for a full Darwin Award is that, sadly, Wayne had already fathered two children.

Submitted on 05/22/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: The Hereford Times 17 May 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Shadow said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
he had reproduced but i still find him worthy of the honorable mention, though drunken hijinks are stupid, he went out of his way in terrain he knew to be unsafe without a helmet!

James said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I'll go with an HM here. The article and the details therein push this above and beyond the usual "drunk vehicle operator" story!

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Sounds to me like both of these men qualify for an HM! Thanks for the story.

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