Charles Darwin at a green chalkboard.

2000 Darwin Awards

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Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.

What's That Ringing?
2000 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(4 March 2000, California) We here in the Silicon Valley are besieged by rude and arrogant idiots. Those of us who grew up here are always hoping more of them will remove themselves from our presence in some amusing way. I am happy to report that one such woman has not only removed herself from the Bay Area through her arrogant idiocy, she has even gone so far as to remove herself from existence itself. Sivaenga was killed and three of her family members injured when they were hit by a train apparently after an arrogant, I-am-more-important-than-God-himself attempt to skirt around a railroad crossing gate that was already down. She sped ahead of a line of cars waiting for the train to cross and attempted to get around the crossing gates, despite ringing warning bells and flashing red lights. Luckily, these deterrents that normally stop people were not enough for Sivaenga or we would still be stuck with her.

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Submitted by: Colorfully written by Janis Aziza Varo
Reference: San Jose Mercury News

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Richard says, "This kind of story is unfortunately very common. Several times a year there are delays on the Long Island Railroad commuter trains for this very reason. Flashing lights and lowered gates just won't deter these determined folks. The authorities are at a loss as to what to do. Many of the crossings are being eliminated by elevating the rail lines, a very expensive solution. Disturbingly, I read of a recently formed support group for locomotive engineers. It seems that every engineer without exception, with more than a year's experience, has involuntarily killed someone in a grade crossing collision. The engineers are baffled and wonder how anyone could be so stupid. Isn't everyone aware of the laws of physics which dictate that a train weighing hundreds or thousands of tons has al lot of inertia and can't stop on a dime, or even a football field?"

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