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2008 February Slush
(?)Seatbelt subterfuge kills driver
(?)Mamba kills Man
(DA)Chalk one up for the dog.
Fatal Ski Slope Prank
(DA)A Breathtaking View
(HM)Mexican Divorce
DA:Dynamite Defroster
(Hmmm)Surfing the wrong wave
(?)Die Hard
(DA)Chemistry Went Over Her Head
(>)Living the High Life (On a Budget)
(DA)On the Piste
(?)Darwin in heavy traffic
(DA)Stabbing suspect dies in car crash
Man died after driving down boat ra
(?)Winched up
(DA)Slip Sliding Away
(No)Swimming with the fish (bits)
Top of the train
Up, Up, and Away!
(DA)Hare today, gone tomorrow
Brain Evacuation
Killer locomotive
A good thought gone bad
Bridges are lower than they appear
Monk killed by own runaway lawnmowe
(HM)Shock Horror
Inspiration + Youth + Explosives =
Manhole kills man, Dove in for Cana
no diving please
Roping a Bobcat
Mattress Race
Just Say No
Man has friend shoot him to get off
Wash those genes away
BASE jumper succumbs to stupidity
Old shells never die
A Mattress of Life and Death....
(DA)4 Die In Dirtbike Collision
boat welding
Trail Blazing Gaffe
It only works in the movies
feeling tyred - near miss
Tram drags man with him
Trailer burns when woman uses gas t
Tree felling made easy
Community service for teen who burn
If at first you don't succeed
Man dies trying to beat train in Sa
The $500 Bullet
Please Take This Outside
Death by iPod?
BBQ Whippits
Sledding Accident
Two men burned in backyard blast
Redneck Bee Exterminator
The Widow Maker
Miner nearly crushes himself
Too Close For Comfort
Drain Surfing
A fool and his bike
arrange your own hit
A tough act to swallow for student
Grocery Bang!
Drove 2.5 miles on the wrong way
Departing parted
I'm dying for a drink
2 teens hurt by explosion while dri
Smoking related near miss
Smoky bar triggered fatal asthma at
Man's death linked to cotton swab u
putting your foot in it
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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!

The Widow Maker

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

(from my archives, 31 years in the ER. You cannot make these up.)

To a lumberman, a "widow maker" is a dead tree that rotted, fell, then had its fall to the ground interrupted by a living tree. At this point the "widow maker" leans against, and appears to support, the living tree. If someone tries to cut down the living tree without checking for a widow maker, the widow maker can live up to its name by falling on the unsuspecting person.

One individual noticed that the tree he was cutting down had a widow maker hung up in the upper branches. Intent on harvesting the live tree, the individual decided to cut the widow maker, along with his live tree. Probably, the lumberman determined that both trees would fall along the same line. But, the cuts failed to fall the widow maker or the live tree as planned.

The lumberman was found smashed under the live tree. The theory is that the widow maker rolled off. Since the lumberman chose to cut both trees, the change in weight on the living tree caused it to fall backwards, onto the lumberman. In the end, the live tree was the true widow maker.

Submitted on 02/18/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Usually, such shenanigans are found in classic cartoons, but I guess it happens in real life, too! Thanks, Doc!


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Since it's a PA I'll vote to keep this one despite my reservations. A lumberjacks job is a dangerous one, and this is an excellent example of that. He certainly should have thought things through a bit more thoroughly. Thanks for another great story.


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