This is one story just as charged with tragedy as it is with irony. In the end, a 25-year-old Oregonian accidentally electrocuted himself to death. But in the act he taught many drivers an important lesson and earned a “Darwin Award” for his troubles.
The year was 2001 and a 25-year-old named Ismael was driving through Hillsboro, Oregon. He lost control of his Toyota truck, hit a mailbox, and bounced into a utility pole. He managed to strike the pole with so much force that he knocked down the high-voltage power lines.
Here’s where things get interesting: Ismael had flipped his truck onto its side. The crash had also left the vehicle wrapped in high voltage power lines. The driver and his passenger both got free. Then Ismael made a deadly decision. He returned to his truck, got out a pair of metal pruning sheers, and tried to cut his truck free of the live cables…