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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

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

What was he doing up in that crane?

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

After New Years Eve 2007/2008, one of the top stories all over Denmark was how a 20-year old guy had been found dead 8 meters down at the bottom of an excavation site for an underground carpark. At first, police treated the incident as a possible crime, in which the 20-year old could have been pushed into the big hole in the ground, but investigations established that he had fallen from a far greater height than ground level. Further investigation proved that he had in fact fallen from quite a bit of way up into the 30 meters tall tower crane standing on the edge of the excavation.

Questioning of people who knew him and specifically those whom he had partied with on New Years Eve revealed, that he was most likely quite intoxicated when he had left the party around three o'clock in the night. Unfortunately, no witnesses were found who could tell what happened from that point on.

There is nothing to suggest that he was suicidal, and the coroner could tell from the way he had landed, that it was most likely not a jump, but an accidental fall.

Since it cannot be established exactly why he had climbed up into the crane, it leaves him a bit of benefit of doubt with respect to the stupidity of the act. But two hints are given, though, none of which credit him with much forethought.

Hint 1) When a friend of his were afterwards asked about any possible motive for climbing up the crane he answered: "What was he doing up in that crane? If any ladies had been looking, he might have done it. He was like that. But he was alone, so I don't understand what he was doing up there. And even without a jacket." The 20-year old had in fact only been wearing shoes, trousers and a thin white shirt during his ascent. At the time it was butt-freezing and a storm was blowing. The top of the crane was not exactly sheltered from the wind.

Hint 2) Construction workers could afterwards tell about a tendency among the young people in the city for climbing up into the top of the crane late at night to eat pizza. The young people usually left the evidence of their pizza trays behind. In this case no pizza trays were found in the crane tower, and although several were found on the ground close by, none could with certainty be be said to have fallen from the crane.

So although it remains to be found out whether the 20-year old was climbing to the top of the crane to eat pizza or just to enjoy the view, the fact remains that he did climb it, in a butt-freezing gale with only a shirt to protect his torso from the weather, on the one side of the crane which would not only take him high above ground but also from the very bottom leave him hanging out over a deep, concrete-filled hole in the ground.

And I am sorry to nominate the bloke for this award only 4 days after his death, but everybody I have met since then seem to think he deserves it, so one might as well call a spade a spade with no delay.

Submitted on 01/04/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: http://www.fyens.dk/article/914266:Odense--Venner--Hvad-skulle-han-oppe-i-den-kran

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Well since this isn't a court of law I'm happy enough to nominate this guy for a DA given all the circumstantial evidence. He must have been extremely drunk to want to climb that crane without a jacket and in that lousy weather. If more details do come out please do let us know. Thanks!


Shadow said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Circumstantial evidence it is, but it is a rather stupid act... and certainly qualifies him to join the ranks of Darwin's finest... thanks for the Submission!


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