2006) This account is testament to the intelligence of the people I played with in my teenage years, over 6 years ago, when people are prone to recklessness--a fact I should have borne in mind.

 

Our gang consisted of 5 members. None are named, and I used a psuedonym for myself. On this Sunday afternoon we had taken it into our brains that, since we live near the sea, it would be fun to play on the cliffs, which measured over 100 feet.

 

We took turns riding our bikes up to the cliff edge and braking at the last possible moment, the object being a typical competition between young males. After one boy almost flew off the cliff, we made it 'safer' by tying rope around our waists, attached to separate pegs anchored securely in the ground. This, we thought, would avert trouble. Uh huh.

 

One of the boys had a bike that squeaked terribly when he braked, and it was getting on everyone's nerves. So he took care of the squeak in an ingenious way: he oiled the brakes. Some of you might already realise this presents another problem, but he didn't see it.

 

when it was his turn, he rode up to the cliff with the ironic cry, "Watch this!" indeed, we did watch. We watched him apply the brakes, we watched his expression change to one of terror, and then we watched him disaopear from sight as he sailed over the cliff.

 

The rope did its job, and halted his descent, but it was longer than anyone else's, and suffered the strain of 60 feet of falling teenager, as did his waist around which the rope was tied. The impact of stopping broke several ribs and almost cleaved him in two. Not surprisingly, he fainted.

 

At the top of the cliff, we four remaining kids phoned for help, but the place was so remote--or our batteries so weak--we couldn't get through. Instead of running for help, we decided we would winch him up ourselves. We set about digging up the peg he was attached to. When it finally came free, there was only one person holding it, and he was pulled over the cliff by the weight of the first boy.

 

Sensibly, he still has his harness on, but the 45 foot drop he endured mearly knocked this boy out. Meanwhile, the extra 45 feet of slack in the cord let the first boy plunge into the ocean, where he unfortunately drowned.

 

The last three boys on the cliff decided to summon help from the Coast Guard. Half an hour later, a large Sea King helicopter hovered over the cliff, attempting to lift the dangling boy to safety. By this point, the knot that tied the rope around the boy's waist had come loose, and he was was hanging on for dear life.

 

Whirling helicopter blades build up a massive amount of static electricity as they beat against the air. Each helicopter therefore carries a cable to electrically earth itself after a flight. As that cable approached the boy, he grabbed for it, heedless of people shouting warnings from the helicopter. When he did grab ahold of the cable, the electric shock blew him against the cliff, and he fell into the sea.

 

Fortunately he did not drown. He was airlifted to hospital, where he made a full recovery.

 

Six years later, I still have the scar on my hand where I touched that earthing cable. I owe my life to the work of the Coast Guard that day. Thank you, Coast Guard, for helping idiots like us stay alive long enough to tell the story to other idiots.

 

Cheers!

2006) This account is testament to the intelligence of the people I played with in my teenage years, over 6 years ago, when people are prone to recklessness--a fact I should have borne in mind.

 

Our gang consisted of 5 members. None are named, and I used a psuedonym for myself. On this Sunday afternoon we had taken it into our brains that, since we live near the sea, it would be fun to play on the cliffs, which measured over 100 feet.

 

We took turns riding our bikes up to the cliff edge and braking at the last possible moment, the object being a typical competition between young males. After one boy almost flew off the cliff, we made it 'safer' by tying rope around our waists, attached to separate pegs anchored securely in the ground. This, we thought, would avert trouble. Uh huh.

 

One of the boys had a bike that squeaked terribly when he braked, and it was getting on everyone's nerves. So he took care of the squeak in an ingenious way: he oiled the brakes. Some of you might already realise this presents another problem, but he didn't see it.

 

when it was his turn, he rode up to the cliff with the ironic cry, "Watch this!" indeed, we did watch. We watched him apply the brakes, we watched his expression change to one of terror, and then we watched him disaopear from sight as he sailed over the cliff.

 

The rope did its job, and halted his descent, but it was longer than anyone else's, and suffered the strain of 60 feet of falling teenager, as did his waist around which the rope was tied. The impact of stopping broke several ribs and almost cleaved him in two. Not surprisingly, he fainted.

 

At the top of the cliff, we four remaining kids phoned for help, but the place was so remote--or our batteries so weak--we couldn't get through. Instead of running for help, we decided we would winch him up ourselves. We set about digging up the peg he was attached to. When it finally came free, there was only one person holding it, and he was pulled over the cliff by the weight of the first boy.

 

Sensibly, he still has his harness on, but the 45 foot drop he endured mearly knocked this boy out. Meanwhile, the extra 45 feet of slack in the cord let the first boy plunge into the ocean, where he unfortunately drowned.

 

The last three boys on the cliff decided to summon help from the Coast Guard. Half an hour later, a large Sea King helicopter hovered over the cliff, attempting to lift the dangling boy to safety. By this point, the knot that tied the rope around the boy's waist had come loose, and he was was hanging on for dear life.

 

Whirling helicopter blades build up a massive amount of static electricity as they beat against the air. Each helicopter therefore carries a cable to electrically earth itself after a flight. As that cable approached the boy, he grabbed for it, heedless of people shouting warnings from the helicopter. When he did grab ahold of the cable, the electric shock blew him against the cliff, and he fell into the sea.

 

Fortunately he did not drown. He was airlifted to hospital, where he made a full recovery.

 

Six years later, I still have the scar on my hand where I touched that earthing cable. I owe my life to the work of the Coast Guard that day. Thank you, Coast Guard, for helping idiots like us stay alive long enough to tell the story to other idiots.

 

Cheers!

 

Why post now? did you just wake up? :wack:

 

I was enjoying the read till you mentioned the first boy drowned, that's a shame :(

Should of said this wasnt me. Got it from the forums on darwin awards.

Should of said this wasnt me. Got it from the forums on darwin awards.

 

Well yeah :smash:

 

I take back any form of sympathy I offered earlier ;)