Hey there, friends! Here is a wild Darwin Award experienced by a man in Araxá City Brazil, who got sick and tired of thieves breaking into his mechanical workshop at night. Who wouldn't tire of that annoying game?
Part handyman and part mad scientist, this machine-stop owner decided against installing security cameras. That typical gambit stood no chance because he had a smarter plan.
Of course he did.
Despite the growing impediment of cataracts, he laid out nearly-invisible copper wire and assembled a tripwire set to trigger a loaded security firearm. This exciting security device would stop a thief in their tracks!!
Who doesn't love a locked & loaded boobytrap?
Weapons expert Thiago Oliveira said the bizarro device demonstrated the man’s unique electrical talents. A tug on the copper wire activated a spring that connected two power sources to the back of the weapon. The gun was loaded with 'gunpowder, a sphere, and bushing.' When the circuit was closed, explained Oliveira, it generated a spark that ignited the gunpowder and accelerated the projectile out the barrel.
While this was not the safest contraption, it was well-constructed and fully functional. Fortunately no thief showed up that night. Unfortunately the inventor himself triggered the security device himself the next morning. Yikes!
The 'elderly' man was hit in the right chest area and died at the scene. The body was taken to the IML Legal Medical Institute.
Our condolences to his family.
Yet — Despite the deadly outcome, we recognize that his invention worked exactly as intended. Let his disastrous failure of commonsense be a warning to us to HESITATE before we combine firearms, copper wire, and creativity into a deadly boom-erang. Hesitate and then install security cameras to protect your property without risking a posthumous Darwin Award.
References:
20 August 2022, Brazil
https://darwinawards.com/slush/new/pending20220829-053926.html
Portuguese Newspaper
English Translation