Falling Sheep

Yesterday, Paul mentioned the threat posed by cows. It's worth remembering that sheep can be pretty dangerous too. As this hiker in Ireland recently found out when, out of the blue, he was hit by a falling sheep. Both the hiker and the sheep seem to have survived the incident.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 31, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Accidents, Animals

Attack of the Killer Umbrellas

In Ocean City, Maryland a woman was recently impaled in the chest by a wind-blown beach umbrella [6abc.com]. She's alive, but I assume in serious condition.

And just a week before another wind-blown umbrella stabbed a woman in the leg at the Jersey Shore.

The umbrellas are active this summer.

We've reported a number of other attacks by wind-blown umbrellas here on WU. In 1979, Paulette Fabre was killed by one on the French Riviera. And in 2010 a woman at Ocean City (again!) had an umbrella go straight through her thigh.

Forget the sharks in the water. It's the wind-blown umbrellas people need to worry about.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 24, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Accidents, Death

When Havoc Struck

It's never news or entertainment when something goes right, only when it goes wrong. The 1978 TV series WHEN HAVOC STRUCK knew what people wanted. Glenn Ford must've needed a paycheck.

Other episodes on YouTube.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 30, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Accidents, Goofs and Screw-ups, Death, Destruction, Engineering and Construction, 1970s

Doesn’t notice plane crash

If a plane crashes in your yard and you didn't heard 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."

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

Rube Goldberg Accident

An unusual accident that recently occurred outside a post office in Kingmont, West Virginia has elements of a Rube Goldberg contraption.

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