Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Do you know someone personally?

Danilo Petrovic, 36, is the only known Serbian victim of the giant tsunami that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean. And he was at home in Serbia at the time. He blames television for the tragedy. He was so shocked when he saw the tsunami footage on TV that he jumped out his apartment window. As he fell from the second floor, it occurred to him that the tsunami was not actually a threat to South Serbia, which is separated by an entire continent from the Indian Ocean. But it was too late to avoid impact: he suffered two broken legs and a damaged spine. Recovering later from his tsunami injuries, he threatened to sue the local television station, for saying that “the tsunami is coming our way,” and that people should “immediately evacuate.” A spokesman for the local television station said Danilo must have misunderstood the reporter's words.
Ken from Carlsbad accepted a dare and kissed a snake, landing himself in mortal danger. Ken proudly bragged to his friends about a deadly young rattlesnake that he had taken into captivity the week before. They teased him by calling him a "snake lover," and they urged, "kiss your girlfriend, Ken." When he did, the 3-foot rattler bit him on the lower lip and pumped its sac of venom into the unfortunate man. His head and throat swelled to 2x normal size, and Emergency Room personnel pumped vial after vial of antivenin into his bloodstream in a fight for his life. After 3 hours of intubation and 25 doses of antivenin, Ken was out of danger at the Tri-City Medical Center. The swelling from snakebite can cause necrosis of the affected tissue, and Ken might have lost part of his face. He was fortunate, and will only see bruised and stretched facial skin in the mirror. But he will suffer the consequences of his foolish act for weeks, as flu-like symptoms set in, caused by an immune response to antivenin. The doctor was quoted, "In 26 years, this is the worst case I've seen. His muscles were quivering like he had worms under the skin." Safety tip of the week: Don't play with rattlesnakes -- they bite!
It is absolutely amazing what goes on in people’s minds. I have met some people in my time that do some pretty dumb things, but I don’t know anyone that can compare to some of those who have achieved the level of stupidity to be able to win a Darwin! Do you?
http://www.darwinawards.com

12 comments:

Carl Spackler said...

you have to to be kidding me. how can you feel bad for this guy...really, what was he thinking. were there drugs/alcohol involved?!?!?

BeckEye said...

Well, we drove all the way down to Florida one year to go to Disney World. When my Dad saw the sign "Disney World Left" he turned around and drove home.

Man, I love stupid old jokes.

Lee Ann said...

Jef - My boyfriend is always talking about how people can't think for themselves. Really, people just think!

Carl - hahah-yeah, you would think there are drugs and alcohol involved because you can't believe that people can be so dumb. There were actually some stories worse than these 2, but I didn't feel they were appropriate to post.

Beckeye - thats good! :)

Boomski said...

Reminds me of that whole War of the Worlds thing back in the old day. People are dumb and crazy. I rock though hahahaha

Ticharu said...

Look at nuclear power/bombs. It took some really intellegent people to pull off that blunder. Being an idiot isn't always a question of intellegence.

Lee Ann said...

extremeikon - you rock!

ticharu - you bring a good point.

BadGod said...

Stupid is as stupid does.

Lee Ann said...

Zombie - they are everywhere! Thanks for stopping by.

Badgod - In simple terms, yes.

mojoala said...

Speaking of Rattlesnake bites. Last spring I saw a rattlesnake bit my cat on the face. The cats face swelled up to twice it's size. I called the Vet, he said let nature take it's course. Cats and dogs normally don't die from such bites, god has given them some natural immunity.

Trying to convince my wife that I had called the vet was a completely different issue.

I agree with Jef.

Lee Ann said...

mojoala - wow! That must have been pretty scary. Amazing!

Goan Pao said...

Thank god for these guys..they make me look so much smarter than I really am..

Lee Ann said...

goan pao - ha! that is a good way to look at it:)