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(UL)Roping A Deer
(Hmmm)Tiger, not lion, kills 1, injurs 2
(DA)Slippery When Wet
(DA)Pulled into the abyss
(Hmm)White Spirit IS Flammable
(?)VA Man Shot to Death While Beating
(DA)Not a Shred of Sense
(DA)Chest Piercing Electrocution
(?)Un-happy slapper
(?)Need for Speed
(?)Great Balls of Fire!
(?)Had big balls.
(?)Rich and Overconfident
(DA)Sneaking Across
Conveyor belt outlasts runner
(?)Let Me Get a Better Look!
(DA)A series of Im-Pined Events
(HM)Home Made IED
(?)Graffitists drown in storm drain
Skier dies after triggering avalanc
Do-I-Yourself Shock Therapry
MANS BEST FRIEND???
Rafts, Rivers, Cement and Bridges
Woman attacked twice by shark
Picnic Lunch
Holy Flaming DOH!
gangsta guns & fireworks don't mix
The high cost of gas
Police: Man Shot Himself In Genital
Auger to Heaven
Drunken driver saves beer
(NO)Disabled man turned himself into hu
Miami of Ohio University...
(?)Jumbolair Airborne BMW
Fire up the BBQ !
(several)
Man stabs self while fleeing
The Faster Method
Kinky Sex, Shocking Death
highway worker nearly earns award
Reverse Mohawk
1 shoot closes slaying case
Grafitti Vandals Drown
When Couch Potatoes Take Root.
two for one
dangerous mixture
Is half a Darwin better then none?
Do Tell
Drowned pair 'spraypainting inside
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
Explosive Military Intelligence
Men shoot themselves in tattoo atte
Making Deadly Gas at Home
German man goes out with X-mas Tree
vodka+viagra death
Fake hanging becomes all too real
Death by Exploding toilet
Down the drain!
Pneumatic Nail Gun Surprize
One sleeper too many on rail tracks
Man Killed in Backyard Explosion
What was he doing up in that crane?
Semi-Conductor
That is one Fowl Shot
diver drowns for golf balls
Metal fence gets revenge
Burning Pants
Police Break in?
Killer Drill
Go Get the Lawnmower
Next Time Buy a Ticket!
dumest showoff driver ever
Couldn't wait to get down and party
Truck-a-Luck
dangerous dog food
They Ain't no Bo and Luke Duke!
The Blue - Handed Pikeman
Un-happy slapper
Driver found unbuckled in crash, bu
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
He now hates that 'Tom Tom' GPS!!!
A Crocodile Poacher gets scrambled.
Bare hand versus table saw
Drunken Phone Repair
Knife thief stabs self during getaw
Belly dancing through traffic
Who knew trucks were heavy?
Man held by ankles to snap photo
Super Glue Eye Drops
Eagle explosion
Cutting up a Napalm Bomb
Escalator Misused
Flash Powder near miss
Log Jamming
Driver requires GPS Train-ing
elevator surfer
Two men dead after swimming in drai
New year buffaloe ride
freek accident
Rest in Peas
Bike VS. Train
Is Arthur still going to heaven?
Slow Learner
Hangings should never be mocked up
Strong finger for firing a pistol
unsuccessful robber shoots self in
The Death of Deadtown
Don't want to fall out of this bed!
Abused car strikes back
Goat Overcomes Man
New years Nose Ring In Brain
Dog Love
Homosexual Couple Hospitalized
Listen to your parents!
Run over getting the bins in
Man breaks neck in pool accident
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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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The high cost of gas

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

No one was removed from the gene pool as a result of this incident, but somebody should have been. This actually took place decades ago. I used to work in the oil fields, and for a while I and three other guys from my high school class were running a rig called a workover rig. That is a small, collapsible derrick that is carried on the back of a truck. When a producing oil well needs some kind of servicing, like replacing the long "sucker" rods that are used to draw the oil up the well, a workover rig is backed into place over the well and connected to the assembly of valves that caps the well.

One day we were hard at work and I was several yards away from the rig, connecting pipes. The other three were on the work platform at the back of the rig, and had just finished lifting a section of sucker rod from the hole, when one of them started waving and yelling for the guy running the lift motor to stop. The motor was shut down and all of them clustered around the hole. The one who had yelled said, "I smell something. I think there's gas in the hole." Meaning, of course, he thought he had smelled natural gas coming up from the ground. All three of them leaned over the hole to take a sniff.

Did I mention earlier that all three of them were smoking cigarettes at the time?

The resulting explosion blew all of them off the rig into the oily mud, and removed all their eyebrows, facial hair, nose hair, and all hair sticking out from under their hard hats. It was only by the grace of God that it didn't remove their eyes as well. The rig was a total loss, of course. The flare melted it and burned for three days before the oil company managed to put it out. And for the rest of the time those guys lived in that town, they were called the "fire brigade" and the guy who said he thought he had smelled gas was called "torchy."

Submitted on 01/10/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
It absolutely amazes me that not one, not two, but three people would all willingly lean over a possible gas leak while smoking cigarettes. They certainly are lucky to have survived given the end result. Thanks to you, torchy, and the fire brigade for a great chuckle!


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Good grief, that was FUNNY!!! I suppose EVERYBODY smoked back then, but for cryin' out loud, in the presence of a large cloud of gas? They should have been vaporized! What a waste of good natural gas! Thanks!


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