Charles Darwin with a purple swarm around his head, contemplating the twist of fate that natural selection sidestepped these still-living honorable mentions.

2006 Honorable Mention

Next Prev Random Honorable Mentions have misadventures that stop short of the ultimate sacrifice. Nevertheless we salute the spirit of their colossal blunders with an Honorable Mention. Better luck next time!

Helmet Head
2006 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin

(12 August 2006, Indiana) At a party somewhere between Nashville and Bloomington, a young man was drinking and watching people set off fireworks. Suddenly a great idea occurred to him. He could improve upon this amateur fireworks display! He put down his drink and set to work.

When it comes to fireworks, your brain can't be much safer than sheltered inside a football helmet. He found an old helmet, duct-taped a mortar-style firework to the top, put it on his head, and lit the fuse...

A bright flash of light nearly blinded observers. When their eyes recovered, they saw him lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Astoundingly, the 21-year-old survived this party stunt with only a mild concussion and burns.

His helmet, however, was blown to pieces.

MEDIA REFERENCES

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2020
Submitted by: Rich Sorg
Reference: Herald Times, wsbt.com, AP

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