2007 Darwin Award winners announced

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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Recipients of 2007's Darwin Awards were announced last week, representing the stories of people who are killed or otherwise rendered sterile after committing an "astounding misapplication of judgement."

One of this year's top winners was "What Goes Up Must Come Down" which received an 8.0 rating and 8929 votes. The tale concerns a couple in South Carolina who died in hospital after being discovered naked and critically injured on a roadway. Authorities discovered the couple's clothing on a rooftop and concluded that they fell from that location when they engaged "in the act of procreation".

Tied for a top score of 8.0 with 4212 votes was "The Enema Within", an account of a Texas man who absorbed alcohol by means of enema because his throat condition made swallowing painful. After consuming 3 litres of sherry in this manner, he died overnight from alcohol poisoning after attaining a deadly blood alcohol level of 0.47%.

A runner-up story, "Support Group", featured three incidents where scrap metal thieves ended their lives after removing metal supports under heavy objects.

According to the Darwin Awards website, the winners were announced a week later than normal "because Wendy became obsessed with finger loop braiding".

2007 awards list

Story Rating Votes
"What Goes Up Must Come Down" (or "Coitus Interruptus") 8.0 8929
"The Enema Within" 8.0 4212
"Weight Lift" 7.8 2169
"Support Group" 7.8 3712
"Stop. Look. Listen." 7.7 1745
"Beer for Bears" 7.6 2210
"Mole Hunt" 7.5 5355
"A Prop-er Job" 7.4 4418
"Oil Tank Trampoline" 7.4 5721
"Superior Momentum" 7.1 2103
"Elephants Press Back" 7.1 1236
"Barn Demolition" 7.1 3324
"Electronic Fireworks" 7.0 3607
"Fatal a-Traction" 6.0 10
"The Laptop Still Works!" 5.7 1160
"Cow-ard" 5.6 8
"Fatal Foaming Action" 4.9 1433

Grey rows indicate stories not fully verified by the Darwin Awards.


Sources