Accidents
Doesn’t notice plane crash
If a plane crashes in your yard and you don't hear it, did it make a sound?
Arizona Republic - Apr 24, 1993
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 07, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Accidents, Air Travel and Airlines, 1990s
Armed and Clumsy: The Ancestors: 1
How far back do the roots of Chuck's "Armed and Clumsy" category extend? The Wikipedia entry on handguns says: "The first handheld firearms that might better be called "pistols" were made as early as the 15th century..." Could we find a report of some soldier of the era accidentally wounding himself? It's a challenge!In any case, here is an incident from 1949.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 10, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Accidents, Guns, 1940s
Skydiver lands on grandmother at 4th of July party
It's like the Fourth of July version of "Grandma got run over by a reindeer."Lilienthal said the sky diver kicked her in the head, tangled her in parachute lines and dragged her across a field as her family watched, horrified.
Ukiah Daily Journal - Aug 14, 1992
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 04, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Accidents, Holidays, 1990s
People who have slipped on banana peels
I came across a 1927 case of a cliche come to life — a thief fleeing on foot who was caught because he accidentally slipped on a banana peel, which sent him sprawling.
New Cambria Leader - Nov 11, 1927
I figured that Chuck must have documented cases of people who have slipped on banana peels, and sure enough he has.
• 2011 — Ida Valentine, who filed a lawsuit against a California 99 Cents Only store after slipping on a banana peel and suffering a herniated disk. (posted here on WU)
• 2007 — Joyce Walker, awarded $4,110 for injuring her knee in a hospital restroom after slipping on a banana peel. (newsoftheweird.com)
• 2001 — Dorothy M. Ellis Williams, who sued a Quiktrip gas station after she slipped on a banana peel on the pavement outside their store and injured her back and knee. (google groups)
MythBusters has investigated whether you can really slip on a banana peel, and they concluded that although it's not as easy to do as the cliche might suggest, it's definitely possible. Older skins are more slippery. They also note that the cliche originated in the early 20th century after bananas first became a popular fruit, which led to numerous old skins littering sidewalks, and therefore numerous accidents.
Also, back in March 2016 it briefly became a fad among teenagers to take videos of themselves slipping on banana peels and then post the videos online. It was called the "banana peel challenge" #bananapeelchallenge. (Daily Mail)
Photo by Sandman_KK (via Flickr)
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 03, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Accidents, 1920s, Bananas
Rube Goldberg Accident
An 87-year-old woman was backing out of her parking spot when she accidentally hit the accelerator. This caused her car to spin 180 degrees and hit a van.
The van was knocked to the side and hit a jeep.
The jeep started to roll forward and hit a concrete barrier.
The poles holding the concrete barrier in place snapped, and the barrier fell over, landing on the foot of 75-year-old Patricia Piercy.
Piercy was subsequently taken to the hospital for her foot injury. She was the only one hurt.
More: wdtv.com
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 13, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Accidents
Love trapped
A man who died after having sex with a prostitute ended up trapped inside of her. They had to be taken to the hospital to be "de-coupled"
Posted By: BrokeDad - Sat Feb 06, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Accidents, Love and Romance, Public Humiliation, Sexuality
Bus Driver Asks Kids If He Should Hit Dog, Then Does
January 1994: A school bus driver in Port Washington, Wisconsin insisted he was only joking when he shouted out "Should I hit the dog?" seconds before he hit a dog on the road. The animal belonged to two of the children on the bus. It often came up to the road to meet them. The driver, who later resigned, blamed the accident on icy conditions.
The Journal Times - Feb 4, 1994
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 03, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Accidents, Animals, Dogs, 1990s
Fire Alibi
This has to be one of the worst excuses ever.
The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) — Mar 2, 1955
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 03, 2016 -
Comments (8)
Category: Accidents, 1950s
Death By Condom Machine
Three men decided to boost a condom machine and blow it open to get at the condoms, and presumably, the money inside. They set up the blast and ran to their vehicle for cover. Unfortunately the last guy in the car did not get his door shut in time and was struck in the head by a piece of the machine when it blew up. He later died at the hospital, Darwin Award.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 28, 2015 -
Comments (15)
Category: Accidents, Goofs and Screw-ups, Crime, Stupid Criminals, Death
The All New Ford Informer
A woman who left the scene after she rear ended someone got turned in by her Ford vehicle via the automated emergency assistance system. When contacted by the dispatcher she tried to deny the accident but when police came out the car gave her away, again, due to all the damage.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 05, 2015 -
Comments (9)
Category: Accidents, Goofs and Screw-ups, Technology
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |