You all know about the Darwin award, its the annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing or maiming themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way.

This one needs an intro, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident (work accident, not car accident), so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked him for more information.

THIS WAS HIS RESPONSE:
I am writing in response to your request for additional information for block 3 of the accident reporting form. I put "poor planning" as the cause for the accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient.

I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80' tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300# of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using a pully, which was fortunately attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went back to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300# of tools.

You will note in block 11 of the accident report form that I weigh only 155#. Due to my suprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope.

Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40' level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold on to the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed appx. 20#. I refer you again to my weight in block 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40' level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fratured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body.

The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only 3 vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80' above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope.....

My special thanks to my son, Jayme, without him this page wouldn't exist!