During a blizzard the previous night, a power line at the intersection of Point Mackenzie Road and Knik Goose Bay road had fallen. By the tire tracks, one small car had made it around in the ditch. A larger vehicle, a Bronco, if I remember right, with 3 pretty-sauced snowmobilers had also attempted to make it through the ditch, but became stuck under the power line. The driver had a bright idea.

He got out of the vehicle, being careful to not touch any metal. He then walked over to the downed line. High voltage lines put out a lot electromagnetic force. He put his head close to the fallen line (already a close-to-Darwinian move), figuring that if it had power in it, it would raise his hair due to the static electricity surrounding it. Seeing as it didn't raise his hair,(probably because his hair was greasy from being under a helmet all day), he promptly stepped forward, picked it up, and entered himself for a Darwin award.

At this point, my father and grandfather drove onto the scene. His two buddies were too scared/wise to come out of their vehicle until power was shut off by qualified personnel. My father and grandfather alternately performed CPR on the body until the ambulance arrived, but the man was toast.

This wouldn't be such an unusual story, except for one thing. This man turned out to be a highly qualified IBEW lineman with years of experience. He knew what he was doing around high-voltage lines, and had handled them many times before. This makes him truly worth a Darwin.

Submitted on 05/28/2010

Submitted by: Isaac
Reference:

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I'll accept this as a PA since there's no documentation to validate the story. Thanks, Isaac.

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
When an professional does something stupid in their line of expertise, THAT'S worth an award!

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