It's not funny but it's funny

[Lorini]

From the LA Times:

"A Ventura County motorcyclist died after being dragged 75 feet in a collision with an RV on Highway 101 in what California Highway Patrol officials described Tuesday as a road rage incident.
The motorcyclist, who was not immediately identified, was traveling south on U.S. 101 shortly after noon Monday, when he got into an altercation with the RV driver, said CHP Officer Terry Uhrich.

A witness told investigators that the motorcyclist made obscene gestures before suddenly pulling in front of the larger vehicle and slamming on the brakes, Uhrich said. The rear wheel of motorcycle got caught under the front right bumper of the RV, which lost control and slammed into the center divider, he said.

The biker, 57 was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene. Uhrich noted that the biker was wearing a so-called skull cap which partially covered his head but is not certified and did not provide protection in the event of collision.

--Andrew Blankstein"

I'm sorry but that is just stupid. Adree, can you provide a pic? That'd be great:)

[unbongwah]

Is it Darwin Awards season already?

[Kraaze]

Oh no, it's just funny. I say this as someone who has been involved in a motorcycle accident no less.

[Hanzii]

See, we had this happen when a roadraging moron did this in a car and the passenger in the car he was fighting got killed when another car behind them didn't break in time.
That was tragic (and one of the rare occasion when I called for tougher sentencing).

This on the other hand is fun, because the moron was too stupid to realize he was on a motorbike....

[metta]

Jerry Seinfeld: Let me get this straight: the helmet law is designed to preserve a brain whose judgement is so poor that it wouldn't wear a helmet unless it was forced to.

[Mark Asher]

Wow, that is amazingly stupid. I'm surprised he didn't try it with an 18 wheeler.

And the guy was 57. We're supposed to have calmed down a bit by then.

[Demon G Sides]

Here, I'll cover for Adree.

http://4gifs.com/gallery/d/128081-1/Bus_hits_bump.gif

[kerzain]

This happens all the time to truck drivers, people genuinely get pissed when they think you are deliberately trying to get in their way. They even do this to gas trucks.. why God, why.

I had an angry drunk guy do this to me in Kentucky when he couldn't figure out how to merge around a fully loaded semi+trailer which was climbing a hill at about 20MPH and figured I was trying to box him into a ditch. He finally stopped, waited for me to pass, sped up got around me and and slammed to a stop right in front of me so that I more or less t-boned him at an angle (I guess you could say I lower-case-y-boned him).

I was only doing 20 or so, uphill, fully loaded, But the entire passenger side of his pick-up was more or less demolished. I was probably lucky he wasn't the type to keep a gun-rack in the back window behind his confederate flags.

That was plain stupid. A motor-cycle doing this? That's just funny.

[Pogo]

Link to LA times article if one actually exists online, please.

[kerzain]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/motorcyclist-dies-in-ventura-county-road-rage-incident-.html

[Adree]

http://i32.tinypic.com/103eo8i.gif

[cesare]

One time I had some friends coming over to my house, and they were driving on a parkway about two minutes from where I lived. About 100 yards up from them a car bumped, like, nudged a guy on a bike doing like 50. He was wearing one of those skull helmets. His head smashed the pavement and everything in the helmet broke off and flew up the street. They got to the crash area right around when everyone was just starting to slow down and realize what had happened, and the dude was lying on his side with his head missing everything from his eyes on up, brains streaked along the parkway. When they got to my house they were completely pale and were in shock for like an hour. I pretty much decided that those skull helmets were probably a bad idea.

[GloriousMess]

(awesome .gif)
"Oh crap it's one of those metal animals, no time to swerve I gotta jump it...here we go....here we goooo....aaaaand...fuck it, can't be bothered."

[Jon Rowe]

Why you should wear a helmet. (http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/05/12/0705120225.php)

He saw the large truck, the kind that usually makes deliveries to offices, coming down Eastwood, preparing to make a right turn onto Division Street. Lipscomb said he could tell the truck wasn't going to stop. So Lipscomb slammed on his breaks, flipping his bike and throwing himself into the street. He landed right at the intersection of Eastwood and Division.

The truck ran over his head.

"I didn't see it coming, but I sure felt it roll over my head. It feels really strange to have a truck run over your head." His helmet, a Giro, was crushed, but Lipscomb's head was fine.

[Griddle]

Being a motorcycle rider this made me cringe. But as a sane person, that guy did it to himself, so HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[kerzain]

More It's not funny but it's funny:
"Skin missing all the way down to his ankle on the front and the back," mother Linda McCrea said.

McCrea said the boys were trying to copy a stunt they saw on the video sharing Web site, YouTube, where a man in a banana suit lights himself on fire.http://www.wesh.com/cnn-news/20366679/detail.html

[Anaxagoras]

That boy is destined for great things.

[unbongwah]

Considering how painful even a small second-degree burn is, I do not envy that kid's recovery. That said:
She believes YouTube is partially to blame for her son' pain.
No, your son being a freakin' moron is partially to blame for your son's pain, ma'am. And by "partially" I mean "completely unless there are mitigating factors like being threatened at gunpoint."

[Anti-Bunny]

Actually, it's probably worth mentioning that, no, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle probably won't (http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/11/2063) save your life when you're plastered by a car.

Not saying that you shouldn't wear a helmet. I'm saying riding a motorcycle is just generally fucking dangerous.

[datter]

About 20 years ago... four lane highway, I'm in the inside (left) lane on my Yamaha 650 passing a slow moving vehicle in the right lane. I was doing about 75 to 80 kmph (45 to 50mph) as I scooted past him, when I suddenly see a baby blue 1970's era Buick pull out from the right side of the road and cross to go in the other direction. Unfortunately this baby blue Buick driver was a bit confused and straightened out heading directly at me, in my lane. The rest all happened in seconds. All I saw was a giant-ass Buick grill coming at me. Biggest, shiniest damned thing I ever saw. Things slowed down, as they do at times like that and I recall feeling incredibly pissed off that I was going to die in such a random accident. I also heard myself saying "fuck" very loudly. Nice last word, but I'm probably not alone in the choice.

I managed to just touch the brake and angle the bike a bit before impact but it wasn't enough and we plowed into each other head on. Well, he plowed into me really. I heard a very loud crunching-grinding-smashing-end-of-everything sort of noise and the next thing I recall was waking up on my back in the middle of the road about 50 feet away from where I last was. There was a circle of faces above me staring down and they were discussing whether I should be moved or not. At that point I figured something bad must have happened although I was honestly not sure what it might be.

As it turned out the baby blue Buick was driven by a 79 year old gentlemen who pulled out because he thought it was clear to go. He also thought he was on the right side of the road, as opposed to on the wrong side of the yellow line where he was. His wife, of similar age was next to him and didn't have the foggiest clue what was going on until it was all over. She later explained that after the initial impact she had time to ask her husband what happened, before they heard me land down the street behind them. They "heard me land" because my thankfully limp body flew over their car, down the road and impacted the side of a black Ford Bronco that was making a left turn. I hit the side of this Bronco head first (which is what the old folks heard) then crumpled onto the pavement next to it.

Damage wise, my bike was obviously totaled. The front wheel was folded back along the side of the bike and wasn't that far from touching the rear wheel, though offset some of course. The baby blue Buick was beaten up a bit, but largely intact despite everything. The big shiny grill was dented/broken and I had their license plate folded up accordian style and attached to my right pants leg somehow or other. I recall being very concerned they get their plate back for some reason. The black Ford Bronco was dented rather badly by my head/helmet and as I was being treated on the scene the gentlemen who owned the Bronco made sure to explain to me in a rather nasty fashion that I was going to pay for his door. As he did so a woman gave him a business card and said she "saw the whole thing, it was his fault"... then gave me that dirty look housewives tend to give young motorcyclists. Not exactly a moment that gave me any faith in humanity.

I haven't thought about all that in years.

Anyway, if I hadn't had a proper helmet on I would certainly be dead right now so yes motorcycles can be dangerous that's for certain. I've ridden since I was 9 years old, and still ride today though as once you start it's hard to stop. That said, I have never stomped on my brakes in front of another vehicle and can't believe anyone would be so stupid. The dude in the original story up there must have been a complete idiot. There's enough nasty things trying to get you when you're on two wheels as it is without encouraging any more of it.

[tiohn]

crazy-ass story

Yes, but did you shit your shirt?

[Bill]

About 20 years ago... four lane highway, I'm in the inside (left) lane on my Yamaha 650 passing a slow moving vehicle in the right lane...

Great story, you sound lucky to be alive (well, aside from being unlucky in the first place).


That said, I have never stomped on my brakes in front of another vehicle and can't believe anyone would be so stupid.

Believe it. A few years ago I was driving on the highway, doing about 70, and a bike starts passing me on the left. He gets a few car lengths in front of me and, seeing a speed trap up ahead, slams on the brakes and swerves into my lane. I must have missed rear-ending him by... inches? Less than an inch? I was completely surprised that we didn't connect.

I was super pissed off that the guy was so reckless. And following him further down the highway he didn't look very steady so I don;t think he was all that experienced.

[fuzzyslug]

Wow, what a stupid mistake. As a driver of a vehicle that regularly pulls a 9500 lb camper, this is just an incredibly dumb thing to do. I see stupid things all the time, though. People often treat you as an obstacle and don't think twice about cutting you off.

Just a note: stopping in front of 15,000 lbs is a bad idea.

Just another note: doing so in front of a driver who is not a professional is an even worse idea.

[rossm]

I'm trying to revise my internal meaning of the word eject, to include the possibility that a person can be ejected from a motorcycle when they were riding on it.

[Griddle]

Yes, but did you shit your shirt?

This nearly made my mushroom dipped in hummus a bonified projectile.
/golf clap

[hanji]

Twice I've seen a car get cut off and then proceed to get up beside the cutter and swerve very aggressively at the vehicle that cut them off. It's just retarded. The second time happened just this week.

[Jon Rowe]

I was passing a slow moving car once going down a hill, and this dude pulled out from the right into my lane (the left hand one) I had plenty of time to react, so I slowed down to get back behind the car.

And what did the idiot do that I was trying to pass.... he slowed down...

It got pretty hairy there for a second, I had to basically slam on the brakes to get behind him.

[Rimbo]

I think by "skull cap helmet" they mean one of these:

http://www.bikersden.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=30

Not one of these:

http://www.santiagochopper.com/shop/details.html?id=637

[kerzain]

If I ever decide to start my own motorcycle gang, we're all wearing the helmets shown in that second link of Rimbo's post. It reminds me of the helm's dark elves would wear EverQuest, so of course those of us who aren't already slightly purplish in color will have to wear black face and call ourselves something awesome like "Sons of Innoruuk"

[Jenn]

If we start talking about crazy nonsense we see on the roads this thread can go on forever. Here's my contribution since it just happened yesterday. I'm driving down a busy Toronto street on a stretch where the speed limit is 70km/h. It's at the tail-end of rush hour but everything is moving well. There's a Canada Post truck a car-length ahead of me in the lane to my right and, much to my surprise, a car heading in the opposite direction does a wicked U-turn to end up right in front of me and then cuts off the mail truck and slams on the brakes to come to a complete stop. Everyone going my way is stopped now with the same "wtf?!?" reaction and I'm thinking about how thrilled I am that he didn't hit me, the people behind me didn't hit me and no fenderbenders were caused. Ok, and that I didn't lose any teeth on my steering wheel. The smiling 70 year old gentleman then calmly gets out of his car and goes to give some letters to the driver. The driver, in as much shock as I am, takes the letters and just blinks at the man. I didn't see what happened next since I wanted to be as far from there as possible. I almost thought (hoped?) I'd see this incident on the news that night with reports that an elderly man was beaten within an inch of his life by a postal worker and all the cars that nearly accordioned behind him.

No motorcycles were harmed in this incident.

[kerzain]

I'm convinced old people do that shit for two reasons, because they are daring God to take them to heaven and this type of suicide might not be looked at the same as your average everyday trigger pulling -- and also because old people resent young folk and want to make us poop our pants so we know what we have to look forward to when we're their age.

[balut]

This is why Canada needs government death panels for the elderly.

[cesare]

She later explained that after the initial impact she had time to ask her husband what happened, before they heard me land down the street behind them.

I lol'd. But only because you're still alive.

[Brad Grenz]

This nearly made my mushroom dipped in hummus a bonified projectile.

That is the dirtiest euphemism I have ever read.

[Pogo]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/motorcyclist-dies-in-ventura-county-road-rage-incident-.html
Thank you. My bike forum loves discussing what went wrong in accidents, and this is a nice big NO-NO for all the new riders that join.

No, your son being a freakin' moron is partially to blame for your son's pain, ma'am. And by "partially" I mean "completely unless there are mitigating factors like being threatened at gunpoint."
Your statement is in general, but I can't help but think that YouTube showoffs have the same effect on motorcycle riders that think they're hot shit stunting on public roads... and fucking up royally.

Actually, it's probably worth mentioning that, no, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle probably won't (http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/11/2063) save your life when you're plastered by a car.

Not saying that you shouldn't wear a helmet. I'm saying riding a motorcycle is just generally fucking dangerous.
A new HURT Report is badly overdue. The last serious study on motorcycle accidents was done in 1981. But some of what was true back then is still true now... 2/3 of all motorcycle accidents are rider error, in the ages of 16-24, and of which 90% do NOT have motorcycle safety training or are self-taught. A tiny percentage of motorcycle accidents occur at the speeds that most people think they are most dangerous... 70mph+ or on ridiculously fast superbikes.

Will a helmet save your life in a full on collision with an object at 50+ mph? Probably not, at the least your neck is broken. But it will definitely prevent auxiliary causes of death or distress, most notably concussions, at the most likely speed of an accident... ~30mph. And if you do go down at highway speeds, you're still skidding along a road and want that helmet (as well as other gear that every rider should have, such as armored jacket, gloves, boots, and pants).

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html

About 20 years ago... four lane highway... a whole bunch of ridiculous shit
That's really intense and it's great that you came out alive. You are also not even close to the first person I've seen mention that other drivers involved in the accident were quick to blame you for the accident.

Believe it. A few years ago I was driving on the highway, doing about 70, and a bike starts passing me on the left. He gets a few car lengths in front of me and, seeing a speed trap up ahead, slams on the brakes and swerves into my lane. I must have missed rear-ending him by... inches? Less than an inch? I was completely surprised that we didn't connect.

I was super pissed off that the guy was so reckless. And following him further down the highway he didn't look very steady so I don;t think he was all that experienced.
And that reminds me of this video, where a motorcyclist does not check his blind spot properly before drifting into a lane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JpoS5OUGdI

[Eric T Cheng]

Another Darwin Award nominee.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg)

The driver of the mini-van turned left even though he saw the incoming speeding truck.

[Hanzii]

We had a nasty motorcyclist death in the small town where I live two years ago.

An autocamper pulled out in front of two motorcyclist who both hit the side of the camper and died instantly (and messily according friends living near the site). The driver was arrested by the police with a possible charge of reckless driving/involuntary manslaughter, but release when witnesses and evidece showed that the idiot bikers were racing at more than 150 Km/h on a 60 Km/h road.

[WarrenM]

What's funny is that around here (Raleigh, NC) the motorcyle drivers seem to be the best behaved on the roads. It's the pick-up trucks and SUVs who have zero regard for anyone on the road other than themselves. Fuck turn signals, fuck speed limits, fuck common courtesy and fuck you.

[RyanMichael]

Another Darwin Award nominee.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg)

The driver of the mini-van turned left even though he saw the incoming speeding truck.

It's hard to gauge the speed of something coming directly at you, he probably saw the truck at a distance that appeared safe to turn, not realizing or expecting the vehicle to be going more than 2 times faster than he could reasonably assume it was going.

I don't consider the minivan at fault there, necessarily.

And holy crap - Vehicles CAN explode into fireballs during car accidents? I thought that was the stuff of movies.

[ElGuapo]

In the summer on Sunday afternoons, if you are coming back into DC, there are hordes of guys with crotch rockets that scream in and out of traffic. Especially if you are coming from the east side, say from a day in Annapolis or coming back from the beach around 6-8 PM. I've noticed it every time I'm on the way back.

These packs of idiots are going 100+ mph, weaving in and out of cars, barely wearing any gear at all. At most they have helmets and a t-shirt, or even no shirt, usually shorts. I guess they are coming back from the beach too? I've seen them almost cause lots of accidents. Teenagers to early 20s, of course.

I love motorcycles and am perfectly fine with them, but it's guys like this that give cyclists a bad rap. Every time I see them I'm just waiting for some horrific accident where one of them goes flying and dies. Sucks or all parties when that happens.

If I lived in the desert/out west I think I would definitely own a motorcycle. In crowded, congested traffic here? Not so much.

[unbongwah]

Your statement is in general, but I can't help but think that YouTube showoffs have the same effect on motorcycle riders that think they're hot shit stunting on public roads... and fucking up royally.
Morons who do reckless shit which is beyond their abilities to pull off are still morons, regardless of where they got the inspiration. I can understand, say, a 6-year-old hurting himself by pretending he's Superman. But by the time you're 13 you should realize GASOLINE + LIGHTER + PANTS = BAD.

And if he didn't before, he damn sure knows now.
The driver of the mini-van turned left even though he saw the incoming speeding truck.
I'm with Ryan: I doubt the minivan driver realized just how fast that truck was going. And frankly, I don't have much sympathy for someone who steals a vehicle, drives it recklessly, then ends up in a wreck (though dying's a bit harsh); it's lucky he was the only one killed by his actions.

[Brendan]

What's funny is that around here (Raleigh, NC) the motorcyle drivers seem to be the best behaved on the roads. It's the pick-up trucks and SUVs who have zero regard for anyone on the road other than themselves. Fuck turn signals, fuck speed limits, fuck common courtesy and fuck you.

Around here that dubious honour goes to people in any form of BMW. I swear tgey come with a factory defect that causes their turn indicator lights to fail on day one.

[balut]

Around here that dubious honour goes to people in any form of BMW. I swear tgey come with a factory defect that causes their turn indicator lights to fail on day one.
Agreed 100%, although I'd also add Mercedes drivers to that. My fiance and I have a running joke that every asshat driver on the road, upon initial, unclear glance, is in a BMW or Mercedes; sure enough, when we eventually get a good look at the car make, it's always a BMW or Mercedes.

[Rimbo]

Another Darwin Award nominee.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQAl2rLHUg)

The driver of the mini-van turned left even though he saw the incoming speeding truck.

What causes a truck to explode and catch fire like that? That doesn't normally happen in crashes. They do all the time in Hollywood, but not in real life.

[kerzain]

It looks like the tail of his truck slid into a newspaper machine on the sidewalk. All that newspaper is flammable.

Plus, if metal chassis of the machine ruptured the fuel tank, and the tank was relatively full at the time of the accident, there's a chance that the gasoline vapors could ignite while the truck is still in the process of crashing into things.

[Hanzii]

Yeah, it didn't explode like they do in Hollywood, it just burst into flame, which can happen if the gasoline pour out on the road, expecially if it's still crashing and something is making sparks.

It's true that getting a fuel tank to explode is hard and that igniting fluid gasoline with a match/cigarette is impossible - that doesn't change that gasoline vapors are really really combustible and that cars do burn in some accidents. Just not as often an not in the way described by Hollywood (ie filled with explosives).

[Demon G Sides]

I think the fan was trying to be a good Samaritan, but fucked it up and became a death dealer.

[datter]

I think the fan was trying to be a good Samaritan, but fucked it up and became a death dealer.

It's a pretty fine line.

[kerzain]

The results of peer pressure and the inability to say: "Fuck that shit!" on film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5lhnr0DM04&feature=related

[Charles]

The results of peer pressure and the inability to say: "Fuck that shit!" on film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5lhnr0DM04&feature=related

Man, hesitation. It always fucks you when mountain biking. If he'd just committed he would've been fine.

[Omniscia]

Agreed 100%, although I'd also add Mercedes drivers to that. My fiance and I have a running joke that every asshat driver on the road, upon initial, unclear glance, is in a BMW or Mercedes; sure enough, when we eventually get a good look at the car make, it's always a BMW or Mercedes.

Around here, they're in VWs or Audis.

[Bill]

Around here, they're in VWs or Audis.

Around here they have Maryland plates.

[Chowhound]

Around here, they're Asian.

[MatthewF]

Around here, they're Asian.

Silicon Valley?

[Nellie]

I was always surprised to learn that Vorsprung Durch Technik isn't German for "If you're a cunt, buy one of these."

BMW drivers tend to be a bit of a cock and merc drivers slightly older cocks, but the true cunts of the road drive an audi (about 2mm from your rear bumper).

[Incendiary Lemon]

Uhrich noted that the biker was wearing a so-called skull cap which partially covered his head but is not certified and did not provide protection in the event of collision.

Skull caps are 97% useless.

Injuries to the crown of the skull occur in only 3% of crashes and when they do your already suffering other major trauma which you'll want a full face helmet for.

About 20 years ago... four lane highway

Amazing story datter. Thank you for posting it.

[Lorini]

From the LA Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5843a66970c-pi

A suspected drunk driver drove his car down the Gold Line railway in South Pasadena Friday night, traveling about 300 feet before his vehicle’s tires dug into the gravel on the side of the tracks, authorities said.

“Witnesses were yelling at him, ‘Get out!’ He was pretty intoxicated,” said South Pasadena police Sgt. Robert Bartl. “He opens the driver’s door and falls straight to the ground. He tried to stand up and he could barely walk on his own.”

The call to police department came about 7:30 p.m. The four-door late model Toyota Camry had gotten on the track at the intersection of Pasadena Avenue and Monterey Road, Bartl said. He said a South Pasadena police dispatcher made a call and Gold Line trains were alerted about a car sitting in a fenced in section of the southbound tracks.

Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s transit service bureau responded and took the man into custody. For a while trains were diverted to another track, but eventually the car was towed away, said Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Hinkle.

“There were police cars all over the place,” said Henk Friezer, 65, a photographer who happened to be jogging in the neighborhood. “There were people trying to figure out how to get the car out of there because it was really wedged in there. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Metrolink workers went to the scene to make sure the track was not damaged, Hinkle said. the man's name was not released late Friday night.

Bartl said whoever that whoever the “very inebriated” man was, he’s fortunate to live another day.

“He’s very lucky,” he said. “And he’s lucky he didn’t kill someone.”


-- Hector Becerra"


I like the word "suspected" in the first sentence.

[Lorini]

For yet another iteration in the not funny but funny series:

"2 residents burned while protecting home had thought hot tub could protect them
August 30, 2009 | 3:04 pm

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department today provided new details on the three people who were burned while protecting their homes Saturday in Big Tujunga Canyon.

Two of the people injured refused a mandatory evacuation order, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. He said that the two didn’t realize how serious the threat of the fire was, and that they thought they could protect themselves by jumping into a Jacuzzi.

But when the 80-to-100-foot flames came barreling through their neighborhood, they were seriously burned, said Whitmore.

They managed to get themselves help, he said, and the county sent in a helicopter and airlifted them to a hospital.

“These are two individuals who underestimated this fire,” Whitmore said. “This fire is serious.”

Whitmore said he did not have the details on the third person reported injured in the fire.

He said that when an evacuation order is issued, it is important to “go, and go now. You don’t have several hours to wait anymore.”

The exact conditions of the victims was not clear."

Hmm, I have a Jacuzzi in the back yard, so when the 50ft high flames come, I'll just jump into that, be boiled to death, and that should solve all my problems. :) :)

[unbongwah]

I like the word "suspected" in the first sentence.
Hey, still innocent until proven guilty, amirite?
Hmm, I have a Jacuzzi in the back yard, so when the 50ft high flames come, I'll just jump into that, be boiled to death, and that should solve all my problems. :) :)
They probably saw too many movies where the protagonist jumped into some water to avoid fire or an explosion and was magically protected from all harm, no matter how small a body of water or how big the fire or explosion was.

So once again, blame Hollywood.

[kerzain]

"Gee ma, the grounds a rumblin again, haps we best skedaddle like the ranger done said"

"Shut up pa, 'taint no reason to leave the cabin just yet"

*BOOM*

[Lorini]

Pilots overshoot Minneapolis by 150 miles; have to be told about it via intercom from the flight attendant. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-northwest-pilots24-2009oct24,0,4084064.story)

Pretty funny :)

[wisefool]

They were arguing about whose turn it was to nap? :)

[Rimbo]

oh, man...

[Mark Asher]

Pilots overshoot Minneapolis by 150 miles; have to be told about it via intercom from the flight attendant. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-northwest-pilots24-2009oct24,0,4084064.story)

Pretty funny :)

It's actually scary if both of them were asleep. Don't they keep the door to the cockpit locked as a security measure now? I wonder if the crew has a way of getting in?

They are going to examine the flight recorders. I'm interested in a follow-up story.

[Dean]

Pilot mistakenly lands on a taxiway instead of a runway. (http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/44975-way-go-delta-taxiway-landing.html)

Internet forum for pilots devolves into (apparently) age-old battle between regional pilots and legacy pilots.

Breaking news: Pilots can be assholes on the internet too.

[Lorini]

From the LA Times Blog (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/san-bernardino-county-authorities-launch-investigation-after-a-dog-turns-up-with-a-skull-in-its-mou.html)

So today we have a dog who comes home with a human skull in his mouth.

"Let Rover in, honey"
"WHAT THE FUCK!!"
"Put Rover out!!!!"

They've called the authorities.

[kerzain]

Investigators found that the chem student often dipped his chewing gum into a packet of citric acid and had inadvertently dipped it instead into a similar-looking packet holding explosive material that was also on his desk.
Exploding Chewing Gum (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/12/ukrainian-student-dies-from-exploding-chewing-gum/1?csp=34)

Seems like something The Joker would have on hand.

[Becoming]

Circus director mauled by bear on ice skates. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/23/russia.skating.bear.death/index.html)

You just can't make this stuff up.

[kerzain]

This thread would be so much more awesome if the Chinese media would create CGI Sims footage of each event.

[ElGuapo]

Sweet, sweet revenge.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2009/11/1117_circus_bear_93085006_getty.jpg

Here is my question about this image. Out of all the questions I have about this image, which are a lot, here is the one that I really want answered:

What is the ref for?

[slikster]

Here's another one, why does the ref have a stick?

Ah, I just answered myself in my head. To beat the bear off, of course.

[kerzain]

I hope that bear is wearing a cup.

[Harkonis]

Actually, it's probably worth mentioning that, no, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle probably won't (http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/11/2063) save your life when you're plastered by a car.

Not saying that you shouldn't wear a helmet. I'm saying riding a motorcycle is just generally fucking dangerous.

bit late of a response, but it doesn't say that a helmet won't save your life. it just says that in states where it's required less people aren't really dying. it's entirely possible that people still aren't wearing them. I know plenty of riders who risked getting ticketed rather than wear helmets when it was the law. I also know 3 people who only lived in bike wrecks due to their helmets and will always wear mine.

[Alan Au]

I also know 3 people who only lived in bike wrecks due to their helmets and will always wear mine.
You should tell them to get their own helmets.

- Alan

[bago]

Here's another one, why does the ref have a stick?

Ah, I just answered myself in my head. To beat the bear off, of course.

Kinky.

[Hanacker]

After Conan moved to the earlier timeslot, there's no more masturbating bear.

[Skipper]

Here is my question about this image. Out of all the questions I have about this image, which are a lot, here is the one that I really want answered:

What is the ref for?


No clue what the ref is for, but the Calgary Flames jersey tells me everything I need to know.

[kerzain]

Baggy pants (http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpps/news/dpgonc-NY-Killer-Tripped-Pants-Plunged-Death-fc-20091218_5152028) actually do serve a purpose, justice.

Fleeing empty-handed, Quinones ditched his gun, a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol loaded with hollow-point bullets, and made a dash down a rear fire escape.

But again, his low-slung pants fell to his ankles, tripping him and sending him falling three stories to his death, authorities said.

[BobJustBob]

Now that's funny.

[Demon G Sides]

Ahahahahahahha

[Bad Neighbor]

That's a Darwin Award winner, right there.

[Raife]

So awesome.

[kerzain]

Pretty much all of this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_deaths).

[kerzain]

Floor collapses... (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100115/twl-floor-collapses-in-weight-watchers-c-41f21e0.html)

[Lorini]

These (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/13-california-hospitals-fined-for-medical-errors-.html) stories really shouldn't be funny, but dammit if I didn't laugh at some of them:)

At Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, investigators found staff mistakenly wheeled a patient on a metal gurney near an MRI machine, she was sucked in by the machine’s magnetic force and fractured her leg and foot. The hospital was fined $50,000, its third penalty in the last two years.

The fear we all have:

Western Medical Center in Santa Ana also was fined $50,000, the hospital’s second fine in the last year, after a surgical sponge was left in a patient in March. She became ill and had to undergo a second operation to remove it.

This is just sad:

California Hospital Medical Center in downtown L.A. was fined $50,000 after emergency room doctors misdiagnosed a woman with an ectopic pregnancy in March and gave her chemotherapy drugs that made her ill.