The 21-year-old man was taking part in the introduction to one of the association’s debating societies when he asked three other candidate members to set fire to the Sinterklaas costume he was wearing. According to the Groningen police, the other students sprinkled the man with flammable liquid and then set him on fire, with a fireball as a result. He extinguished the flames by jumping into nearby water, but then continued with the introduction. He visited a doctor only forty hours later. The student is currently in the burns unit of the Martini Hospital in Groningen with second and third degree burns. The students involved have been questioned by the police. The victim refused to report a crime, but his parents did file charges with the police. They said they are outraged. The incident is under investigation by the University’s Advisory Committee for Introductions (ACI). Albertus Magnus, Groningen’s second largest student association, reacted with a press release. “We are startled by what has happened. We can’t understand how someone could ever come up with something like this”, they wrote. The debating society involved has been suspended.

Report by Ernst Arbouw

Submitted on 04/22/2010

Submitted by: Freek Mandema
Reference: University newspaper of the University of Groningen , The Netherlands #30 April 2010

Copyright © 2010 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
"Pour this gasoline on me so I can light myself on fire" sounds like an appropriate summary for what this idiot did. Thanks for sending it in, Freek!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Oh sheesh.

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