Police say the man was found wearing full climbing gear when he was discovered dead next to a fallen telephone pole. It appears he was on the pole trying to steal cable when it fell.

"It's fairly blustery here," RCMP Insp. Dean Walsh tells CTV News. "The combination of a weak pole and the guy on the pole caused it to fall, killing him instantly."

Telus spokesman Sean Hall says it's not clear what brought down the pole but he says telephone cables are under considerable tension and can snap with considerable force when cut.

Hall says there have been other attempted and successful thefts of telephone cable but this is the first fatal incident involving Telus equipment.

The accident happened at Lougheed Highway and 203rd St. in Maple Ridge, east of Vancouver.

Police have not released the identity of the victim.

Environment Canada issued a severe wind warning for parts of B.C.'s south coast early Thursday. Winds gusting up to 72 kilometres an hour have been recorded in several areas in the Lower Mainland, but are expected to ease later in the day as the weather system moves inland.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081113/BC_theft_death_081113/20081113/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Submitted on 11/13/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: ctvbc.ca Nov 13/2008

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
We've received lots of stories involving dumb copper crooks and passed many of them on to Darwin, however I'm a bit torn on this one. It sounds like in this particular case it was a combination of picking a weakened pole to climb and wind gusts up to 45 MPH. If it wasn't for this combination of dumb luck this well-equipped crook may have very well made a clean getaway. Let's see what the other moderators have to say.

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Didn't this guy ever break a rubber band while stretching it? When you release something under tension, all that stored energy has to go _somewhere_. Plus, climbing ANYTHING higher than your front steps during stong winds is stu-pid. Thanks, and submit again!

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I will actually vote a DA on this one. There is enough information for me to convict (at least for the moment; Darwin can always yank it if it doesn't qualify). He could have a) picked a more stable pole, and b) picked a less windy day to carry out his crime. He did neither, and died a cartoony death! Thanks!

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