GLENS FALLS -- A man attempting to stop his rolling truck in a gas station parking lot by stepping in front of it was dragged 25 feet and later died from injuries related to the accident Wednesday evening, police said.

The accident occurred at the Cumberland Farms at the corner of Center and Maple Streets in Corinth. Francis S. Cleveland, 36, of Glens Falls, turned off his 1992 Ford pickup truck at about 5 p.m. Wednesday and was talking to a friend in another vehicle.

When Cleveland tried to start the truck to leave, it wouldn’t start, police said.

Cleveland exited the truck and was standing at the right front fender, trying to bypass the starter solenoid and the safety switch to the starter of the vehicle, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said.

The vehicle was not in park at the time, and when an electrical connection was made, it rolled forward, at which time witnesses said they saw Cleveland jump in front of the truck to try to stop its motion.

The truck knocked Cleveland to the ground and dragged him approximately 25 feet under the vehicle.

Hydraulic jacks and blocking devices were used to remove Cleveland from beneath the vehicle. He was transported by Corinth Emergency Squad to the emergency room at Saratoga Hospital with traumatic internal injuries, police said.

Cleveland was pronounced dead shortly after, despite resuscitative efforts, police said.

No other persons or vehicles were involved, police said.

Submitted on 11/15/2007

Submitted by: shep
Reference: post star nov 15 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Bypass both the starter solenoid and the safety switch while the truck was in Drive? And then jump in front of a 2 ton vehicle to stop it? Sounds like a winner to me! Thanks shep.

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I was ready to vote against this one since trying-to-stop-a-moving-car-by-standing-in-front-of-it is fairly common. But this guy certainly deserves a DA for the additional effort he exhibited in bypassing the starter, etc. Thanks, Shep!

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

$16 Smoking Crater T-Shirt / Black
Heavy 100% cotton, black Hanes Beefy-T with an inadvisable cigarette break on the front... a smoking crater on the back! Click on the image for a full view. Based on true stories. Errata: TNT will not explode in the presence of a lit cigarette. The man was actually sitting on a crate of gelignite.
Buy the Smoking Crater T-Shirt