Embarrassingly Dumb Ways People Died

[Narrator] It isn't possible. Is this time really here again? Have so many more people really eliminated themselves in a progressively foolish and awkward manner from the gene pool? That makes sense, or else I wouldn't be prepared to give you part 17 of this series. (Bartholomew Eggbert yelling in amazement) Whoa. Not only that, but I haven't finished reading all of the stories yet. Now let's look at some more Darwin Award winners, from self-steaming stupidity to clumsy attempts at diving. (Slightly tense music) - Whoa. (Dings of bells) - [Narrator] The helmet—what is it? It is recommended that you wear a helmet when riding a motorbike, bicycle, or even a scooter. Really, nobody wins a fight with the pavement when they are traveling at a fast pace. Avoid

concur with me? This next winner of an award could help you reconsider. Roughly 550 motorcycle riders crowded the streets of New York in 2011 to voice their opposition to the state's mandatory helmet law. This was the same protest that had taken place each year since the law's introduction in 1977.

The participating bikers argued that wearing a helmet is not required by law, which is an interesting point of view if you ask me. However, this year, a rider proudly rode without a helmet until his bike abruptly fishtailed as he went to apply the brakes. The rider was propelled beyond the handlebars and made a head-first landing on the pavement. An on-site medical expert expressed confidence that the rider would have survived the incident.

If only they had had a helmet on. That's so perfect, I could die from irony overload, haha. Lift truck forklift. Now for the query: Assume you have been assigned to change a lightbulb in a warehouse that is 32 feet above the floor and not close to a wall. Since using a ladder is not an option, how would you handle this situation? Have you, A, informed your employer that you will require specialized equipment to replace something that is so high up, such as a cherry picker? Or B, make something up as you go? As one man in Japan discovered back in 2017, I sincerely hope that the majority of you chose option A. B. leads to Darwin Awards. Rather than seeking assistance, he chose to use a

truck to assist him in completing the task. To get to the lightbulb, a forklift carrying 37 wooden pallets was used. This was obviously not the most structurally sound stack of loose wooden pallets, so when he asked one of his coworkers to start the forklift and raise the loose pallet stack, it collapsed with our man on top of it. Quite obviously, he did not make it through the fall. It's unlikely that he had the epiphany he was hoping for. Engine malfunction. Gravity, ah. Though I doubt the next recipient of the Darwin Award would concur, I believe it to be the strongest force of attraction between any two masses. An old truck was the target of a thief in Sydney, Australia, back in 1990.

parked in front of a glass recycling plant. Since a truck this size typically needs a crane to lift its heavy engine out, our thief chose to try and use gravity to get some of the engine out from below instead of using one. It worked like a charm as he slid beneath the truck and started to loosen the bolts holding everything in place in order for them to fall. Regretfully, the transmission dropped out of it directly onto his head while he was still underneath. The following morning, workers at the recycling facility discovered him.