Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
At-Risk Survivors
Slush Pile
2008 March Slush
Yamashita Treasure
(Hmm)Ugg Boots and Level Crossings
HM:Kitty-Kitty-Kitty!
(HM)Workplace Fling
DA:Prank turned punishment
(Hmm)Where there's Smoke ...
(HM)Roundabout Rocket
(HM)Orcas Eco-terrorism
(?)Alcohol and me don't mix
(HM)Burners can't fly
DA:Steel is valuable...
(?)Real life Frogger
(?)Runs in the Family
(?)How stupid can you be??
(?)Flash Flood Runners
(?)Yakuza shoots his own head
(HM)Headshot
(?)woman + cellphone + train = splat
(?)Police identify father, son killed
DA:Crash Test Cart
Father knows best
Russian Roulette -Honorable Mention
bye bye testicles
Volcano climber cheats death
Be sure it's out before tossing it.
Man electrocuted stealing copper
Ticket to ride
Fork Lift Truck Doughnut
Sex with Lock Dangerous
You ride INSIDE the car
I think I forgot something...
Man blown out of truck dies
Redneck bee exterminator (writeup)
Stealing a safe and dying under it
fireworks and diesel fuel
How not to tame a croc
Teen flying kite from car
End of the line
Sex change... Shotgun sex change.
Return of 'Where there's Smoke"
gotta go
Teen love caught hanging in the bal
Drifting and a 'razed' view
Man killed while beating would-be r
Honourable mention - total idiot te
Man dies when wind flips mattress
Desert party brawl turns fatal with
Let's see how you measure up!
Taking out the Trash...
Shortcut to street cred
Modern day tarzan
Addicted to Butane
OWCH!!!
How Not to Kill a Pet Rat
Party Guest Tragedy
Woman killed by train
Stealing Cooper Wire = Deadly Fire
The French Fries Experience
Shocking sex death ruled homicide
Man electrocuted in theft of wire,
Thieves risk lives to steal metal
barbacue pit
Diving drunk while sleeping
Don't Go Bouldering with a Whacko
Millions of pieces
Australian Man Gunned Down in Drive
An erotic- accident
Older Slush 
 
~ Random Story ~
Email Alert!
Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

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!

Orcas Eco-terrorism

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Darwin says, "Accepted into the Archive."


ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:

”I did it to punish the rich white people of Orcas Island and make them pay for the death of the whales and the depletion of the rain forests” -Mondragon

Our hero, Gabriel Thomas Mondragon, 29 years old, who recently arrived in coastal Washington State from New Mexico, sought to saw through a 69000-volt line.

With a tree saw on a metal pole.

Using dishwashing gloves as insulation.

He was found by a responder for the local hydroelectric co-op, lying on his back, with the gloves partially melted on his hands and his pants burned away from his body.

Thousands experienced a temporary loss of power.

Mondragon was flown to a local hospital and, if he survives, will be subject to FBI jurisdiction.

See also www.sanJuanIslander.com

Submitted on 03/19/2008

Submitted by: Matthew H. Fields
Reference: http://www.islandguardian.com/archives/00001878.html 2008-03-18

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Awful? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Great?
Hate it! Love it!
>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
While we've gotten tons of stories about thieves trying to steal copper wire for profit and getting electrocuted this one certainly stands out as unique. I've not heard of any other stories of eco-terrorists doing something as stupid as this. The fact that he wore rubber kitchen gloves is a clear sign of this mooks stupidity. Thanks, Matt, and please let us know if we should upgrade this to a full DA.


James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
So this jerk had a cause!!! Aside from the obvious stupidity displayed by his choice of equipment, I also fail to see a connection between "rich white people" and killer whales! As for the rain forests, last I checked, we don't have any here in the US! In the end, his laughable attempt at eco-terrorism didn't make a dent! He's in DEEP doo-doo (IF he lives), and I'll wager the "rich white people" he intended to punish are unaware of his existence! Thanks, Matthew!


The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

$16 Tree of Life T-Shirt / Grey
Heavy 100% cotton Hanes Beefy-T with an inadvisable tree-sawing situation on the front... and a few scattered leaves on the back! Click on the image for a full view. This one is not based on any story, but shows an amusingly apt situation.
Buy the Tree of Life T-Shirt

 

 

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend