Darwin Canidates.

[wmenorr67]

Riders Killed, Injured After Hitting Heads on Overpass While Standing on Bus' Open-Top Upper Deck

[/b]

WASHINGTON   District of Columbia police say one man was killed and another was critically injured Friday night when they stood up while riding on the open-topped upper deck of a bus and their heads struck a highway overpass.

The victims, both believed to be in their 20s, were heading to a Washington Nationals baseball game.

The incident occurred around 8:45 p.m. The bus was westbound on the Southeast Freeway and passed beneath the 11th Street overpass.

Police have not identified the victims. Both were taken to local hospitals, where one died.

Shuttle buses typically carry Nationals fans to Nationals Park from RFK Stadium, but the Nationals Express shuttle buses typically are single-deck, closed-top models. It's not clear whether the people aboard the bus were members of a single group.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381266,00.html

Were they so intoxicated that they couldn't duck in time.

[Sergeant Bob]

It's not clear whether the people aboard the bus were members of a single group.

They were quite obviously members of the same group....morons.

You know what the last thing to go through his mind was?

A bridge!!!!

[roo_ster]

I wonder if they bridged their differences and had a meeting of minds.

[never_retreat]

I hope they didn't damage the bridge.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm wondering why an open topped bus would be routed under such a low obstacle?

[K Frame]

Both are dead. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071201610.html

One was in his 30s, the other in his 20s.

The one guy was getting married in September.

[Werewolf]

I'm wondering why an open topped bus would be routed under such a low obstacle?

As much as I hate to admit it - I have to wonder that too.

Lots of dumb people in the world. This happening is a perfect example of why some need to be protected from themselves.

Or maybe not. The gene pool may just be a bit cleaner now than it otherwise would have been.

[De Selby]

Maybe they were unfamiliar with the route, and were looking backwards out of the bus....believing that the bus operator wouldn't have put them on top if there were a chance they'd have their heads battered?

[Lennyjoe]

From the article:
Police said the bus was ferrying 16 people. "Everybody on the bus was on the upper deck," Burke said. "It was a beautiful Friday night. This was a very tragic accident."

Witnesses gave conflicting accounts about whether they were standing on the deck or on the seats, Burke said. As the bus traveled westbound on the Southeast Freeway, passing under the 11th Street bridge, the men's heads struck the overpass, resulting in massive trauma, police said

Um, if they were sitting down, why didnt anyone else suffer head trama?  Since all 16 were on the upper deck, I'd assume others would of gotten injured also.  I think they were standing up or on the seat.  Who knows for sure.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Yeah, the fact that there 16 other people on top of the bus makes you wonder why only two people were injured.  It sounds like the two who got smacked in the head were doing something unusual, relative to everyone else.  I suppose it remains to be seen whether they were stupid or merely unlucky.

[yesitsloaded]

"Wouldn't it be cool if we jumped off our seats as soon as we get close to the bridge"

[roo_ster]

All morbid humor aside, that is a steep price to pay for inattention.

[yesitsloaded]

Nothing to lose your head over.

[Antibubba]

WASHINGTON   District of Columbia police say one man was killed and another was critically injured Friday night when they stood up while riding on the open-topped upper deck of a bus and their heads struck a highway overpass.

The victims, both believed to be in their 20s, were heading to a Washington Nationals baseball game.

The incident occurred around 8:45 p.m. The bus was westbound on the Southeast Freeway and passed beneath the 11th Street overpass.

Police have not identified the victims. Both were taken to local hospitals, where one died.

Shuttle buses typically carry Nationals fans to Nationals Park from RFK Stadium, but the Nationals Express shuttle buses typically are single-deck, closed-top models. It's not clear whether the people aboard the bus were members of a single group.

I wouldn't call this a "Darwin" case--Were I on that bus, I would have a reasonable expectation that merely standing up would not lead to my decapitation.  Had they climbed on top of a bus, or fallen out of the back of a pickup, or some actively stupid behavior--sure.  What I see is a bus company that will be, and deserves to be, sued out of existence.  The families and the survivors have my complete sympathy.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

The question remains as to why the other 14 passengers on the top of that bus were unhurt.  What were they doing differently that the two who were killed should have been doing?

[InfidelSerf]

How about the height of the two, and the rest of the passengers.  It's possible they just happened to be the two tallest members of the party. 

[K Frame]

"What were they doing differently that the two who were killed should have been doing?"

Sitting in their seats.

[wmenorr67]

District of Columbia police say one man was killed and another was critically injured Friday night when they stood up while riding on the open-topped upper deck of a bus and their heads struck a highway overpass.

From the first sentence of the story.  They stood up.

[RaspberrySurprise]

It's like a bad Wile E Coyote cartoon. You'd think the thought "my that bridge is getting awfully close" would have occurred between the two of them.

[Balog]

I wonder why none of the other parrengers said anything to the two guys.....

[Joe Demko]

Sorry, I can't bring myself to gloat or make jokes over the deaths of two men I didn't know under circumstances that aren't clear.  Generally, a Darwin is awarded to someone who gets killed doing something egregiously, obviously, and stupidly dangerous.  Maybe that's the case here, but nothing in the quoted articles really says so.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Generally, a Darwin is awarded to someone who gets killed doing something egregiously, obviously, and stupidly dangerous.  Maybe that's the case here, but nothing in the quoted articles really says so.

I feel compelled yet again to point out that the other 14 passengers on that bus weren't hurt.  Clearly those two who were killed must have been doing something different to get their heads knocked off.  Golly, what could that "something different" have been?

Those two would still be alive if they'd been sitting in their seats.  I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.  I'm trying to believe that standing up on top of a bus, possibly even standing on top of their seats, while going under a low bridge, isn't egregiously stupid.  Maybe, just maybe, there are some circumstances that could justify why these two were standing.  But I can't imagine what realistic circumstance could justify it.

Maybe they were merely unlucky.  Maybe.  But it sounds far more likely that they were doing something obviously, incredibly stupid.

[Joe Demko]

You and I have different definitions of clear.  If it was clear that they were standing up on their seats, that might qualify as a Darwin.  Simply standing on the deck?  Not so much.  If better details ever become available,then perhaps I'll join in the hooting and jeering at the deaths of two strangers.

[MechAg94]

I am with y'all in that I wouldn't call this a Darwin award without more info.  Just standing in an open top bus shouldn't be enough to lose your head over.  It seems a bit unsafe for the only thing between you and death is standing up at the wrong time.  They could have easily been looking the other way and not seen the bridge coming.  Roller coasters have that issue as well and they lock you in place so you can't move. 

Did the bus take the right route? 

I wouldn't surprise me at all if everyone else was sitting.  They were on a moving bus after all. 

This reminds me of a recent story locally where a truck driver hauling a tank/vessel in the back of his truck took the wrong route and the vessel hit the overpass and was knocked back right on top of a car following the truck killing the woman driving it. 

[Iain]

As has been said, you would never expect to take a bridge in the head merely standing up on an open deck bus. Had it been a closed double decker then that bridge would have ripped the roof off. Could very easily be looking in the other direction and not see the bridge coming, and any warning would probably be late because no other passenger would expect the bridge to be that low.

All that is irrelevant if they were standing on their seats, although that's still a pretty low bridge for a double decker bus to pass under.