Wendy/Darwin says, "Accepted into the Archive. Six submissions! (near miss)"

SEATTLE – Seattle police say a man who thought he was a ninja was impaled on a metal fence when he tried to leap over it. An officer who was looking for an assault victim nearby Monday night heard the man screaming for help. Police supported him to prevent further injuries until medics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was in serious condition in intensive care on Tuesday.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt wrote in a department Web site posting that officers thought the man might have been involved in the reported assault, but he insisted he was just a ninja trying to clear a 4- to 5-foot-tall fence.

Witt says the man was "overconfident in his abilities," and that alcohol likely played a role.

His name was not released.

A drunk man believing himself to be a ninja drew the help of Seattle police and aid crews late Monday after impaling himself on a First Hill fence post, a police spokesperson said.

The man's ninja skills, it seems, were bested by the 4- to 5-foot-tall fence he attempted to vault, according to the police statement. He ended up stuck on a spike atop the fence in the 600 block of Seventh Avenue.

After an officer in the area heard the man's screams and located him at about 11:15 p.m., Seattle Fire Department personnel were able to free the man. They took him to Harborview Medical Center, where officers attempted to ascertain exactly what the would-be silent assassin was up to.

"The male claimed he was not being chased, but rather he thought he was a ninja and would be able to successfully leap over the 4'-5' fence," the police spokesman said in a statement. "Clearly he was overconfident in his abilities, no doubt bolstered by alcohol."

Submitted on 11/17/2009

Submitted by: Rich
Reference: AP - 11-17-09

Copyright © 2009 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
We've had a few stories about people getting impaled on fences, but I don't think any of them claimed to be ninjas. Thanks, Rich!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
I KNEW when I saw this on Earthlink that it was Darwin-worthy! Thanks, Rich!

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