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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!

Burglar crushed by Fan

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Suspected burglar is crushed by fan at warehouse An intruder apparently was trying to squeeze through the blades of an industrial fan when he kicked on the switch. BY TIM CHAPMAN AND ERIKA BERAS eberas@MiamiHerald.com

The man's legs were dangling from a window at the Marantha Used Clothing warehouse when worker Anicette Pacouloute arrived first thing Thursday morning.

The rest of his body had been mangled.

The intruder had apparently been trying to squeeze through the blades of an industrial fan when he kicked the on/off switch into the ''on'' position -- with horrifying results:

The metal blades started twisting, slicing the man in the torso, striking his rib cage and ultimately killing him.

Miami police have not released the name of the intruder but say he was in his 40s and had a long rap sheet for burglary.

The man entered the warehouse by prying apart some metal bars, police say.

''He was stealing just junk,'' said Lt. Bill Schwartz of the Miami Police Department.

The warehouse, at 7124 NW Second Ct., stores used clothing and packages it to ship to Haiti.

In addition to old clothes, the building is filled with used appliances, tennis rackets and battered bicycle helmets.

''I'm shocked. I'm distraught. I've never seen anything like this,'' Pacouloute said in Creole as her daughter consoled her.

It was Pacouloute's third day on the job at that warehouse.

''I've never seen anything like this,'' said Schwartz, the police spokesman.

``This is a burglar who thought he had everything rigged just right. Unfortunately, he was wrong.''

Submitted on 06/01/2007

Submitted by: Pete Wilford
Reference: Miami Herald, June 1, 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

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

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
A better, more detailed account of this story I moderated yesterday. IMO if this isn't comeuppance, what is?! (For the record, I voted to keep this as a DA even though it could be construed as an accident).


Graham said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
Accident or otherwise, this is still a great example of instant justice. If he hadn't been a criminal, he'd still be alive. Makes one wonder, eh?


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Yep, more information on a story we got the other day. Thanks, Pete.


$5 Darwin Fish.
6" x 2.25" Silver Emblem like those commonly seen on cars
only way sexier. A cute fish, floating belly-up, illustrating
the mechanism of natural selection. Minimum order is 2.
  

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