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2007 August Slush
(DA) Marlboro Cigarette Raft and a Flood
(?) Mirabilandia - Katun
(HM) Dancin' In The Street
(Hmm) CSI 1, Provo 0
(?) I've Been Texting on the Railroad
(?) Wooden Rails
(DA) Beer for Bears
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(?) Self-disposal
(HM) Key to Stupidity
The Anaheim Space Program
(?) Police Academy 8 (
(?) Rookie cop who killed himself ...
Forgetting Something?
Porch Swing Pipebomb
conveying the message
(DA) Expanding Foam & Blowtorch Fatality
Why do you need a steering wheel?
Balls R Us
OMG, Train meets Texter.
(DA) Those aren't teddy bears!
(?) Witchdoctor meets his ancestors
Glass-Eating Crook
Cinder block'd
Volt reader mishap
Stoned and Educated???
"Et Tu Brute?"
A quiet place to sleep!!!
no nuts
That's all he wrote ...
Another jump from moving car
Danger High Voltage
Laying Rubber
Anything for aa high
Flip and Miss
Train Surfing
Dwarf in on stage accident.
When it turns out that the guy you
Man struck, killed by train in Melb
"I can do that!"
S.F. rookie cop who shot himself to
Teen falls six stories
Scrap Van Man
Beheaded rattlesnake can still bite
Police pluck flip-flopless teen off
Japanese biker fails to notice mis
The Deer Hunter
Man On Lawnmower Killed In Collisio
A Valuable Lesson
Camel kills Australian woman
Where's the doorknob?
Follow that rod!
Illegal Surgery - Testicle Removal
When Nature Calls...
Bedford High School student died wh
Watch out for that tree?
Cockroaches brutally attack........
Death by band-aid.
peepong tom electrocuted
An Explosive Game of Frisbee
Game Over, Dude
Inmate thrown from Roof
Cooking his own goose..
Woman killed by pet camel in outbac
Another Method of Electrocution!
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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!

Scrap Van Man

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

The white van is one of the most popular vehicles on our roads today. Companies have flourished around the capabilities of white vans produced by the likes of Ford & VW. However, even these vehicles must one day reach the end of their lives. One owner met a rather messy end at the same time as his vehicle.

The fellow concerned was Barry Collins (24), whose VW van had finally died and was destined for the scrapheap. He took it to Huntley & Sons scrapyard in Sholing, Southampton to be scrapped, parking the van in preparation for it to be broken up. One of the scrapyard staff moved a mobile crane towards the van to retrieve it. Unbeknown to the crane operator, Barry had gone back into the old VW to fetch something he had left behind as it was about to be scrapped.

Moments later, the crane grabbed hold of the van - with Barry still inside it. His brother saw this happen, and immediately raised the alarm, before the van could be crushed. A helicopter raced to the scene, but to no avail - Barry was declared dead next to his mangled van minutes after the incident.

Police have begun an investigation, but believe this was a tragic accident. A witness said that a fireman had told him that 'it was not a pretty sight inside the van'.

Barry was a father and a keen stock car racer, and his friends and fellow banger racing enthusiasts have paid tribute to him.

The scrapyard operators James Huntley & Sons LTD have refused to comment. However, one has to question the wisdom of getting into a vehicle that you have just taken to a scrapyard to be crushed. Presumably, he informed the scrapyard operators that he had left the vehicle. So why didn't he tell them he'd gone back inside?

I believe this fellow could be a Darwin.

Submitted on 08/07/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: Sun newspaper August 4th 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
We've already received this story a number of times but this is the best writeup I've seen so far. Thanks for sending it in.


James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I concur with Bruce. This is the best, most detailed write-up of this incident yet!


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