Is there something like the Darwin Award but not lethal?

[BlueCross]

If not, there should be.

There was a news article on TV last night where in some small Oregon coastal town, someone had built a small fire in his car port.  No reason for this incredibly stupid idea was given.  Anyway, and not surprisingly, the fire got out of control.  So this guy just happened to have a bulldozer of some sort, and tried to shovel it out of the way.  But no, that didn't work really well either as the fire now spread to his house.  OK, like all good Oregon lumberman, he also had a chain saw and decided to cut down this rather large evergreen tree (it had to be two to three feet in diameter).  And yup, just like in a good Three Stooges movie, the tree fell onto the house.

Seriously, I am not making this up.  I will try to find a link to one of our local papers that might have covered it.  Perhaps I'll be lucky and find out that guy was actually from Utah.

((found it))
Remodeling job goes astray

[The Hanged Man]

You should probably make one, maybe name it after another scientist, there are more than enough stupid people doing stupid things in the world who need recognizing for their achievements.

I nominate this woman.

Last year, due to strikes there was a national fuel crisis and thousands queued up for hours hoarding as much petrol as possible so that they wouldn't run out (and so no one else could have any either.)

Annieway this woman's daughter was in need of some fuel and the woman had more fuel than she was legally able to have on her premises anyway. So in an ingenious move, she decides that the best method of dispensing the fuel was to poor it from one gas can to another... with both of the gas cans hovering over a gas cooker! Obviously the thing blew up in her face and she suffered "40% burns."

So yeah... Diane Hill for the win!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-fights-for-her-life-after-setting-776777

[TK]

There is an honorable mention award but I think that there needs to be an element of injury / severe risk of life, this guy sounds like he's just an idiot who wrecked his house.  A man like that should be forced to carry a sign that says "do  not breed with me, do  not listen to my advice, do not trust me with machinery and do not under any circumstance employ me as anything other than a circus gimp."

The hanged mans story would count I think.

[The Hanged Man]

We could just have different catagories of idiot, I mean you can be a political idiot who doesn't physically put anyone at risk.

On the name front, I think this guy could be a good figure to name the award after "Carlo M. Cipolla" who studied stupidity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Maria_Cipolla

Edit: Apparently there was some sort of non lethal stupidity award http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Stupidity_Awards though no one has won it since 2005. I don't think it exists anymore...

Edit (again): I found another contender! http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/08/home-alone-husband-blows-up-house-after-explosive-row-with-picnicking-wife-3733214/

[Hoopy Frood]

I rather like the term "obliviot" myself. It's popularized by Randy Cassingham's This Is True[/b] blog.

[Chucara]

Well.. Technically, you don't have to kill yourself to win a Darwin award. You can 'just' castrate yourself.

[The Hanged Man]

Well.. Technically, you don't have to kill yourself to win a Darwin award. You can 'just' castrate yourself.

That's still very unlikely... we need something that physically or financially hurts someone.

[AcdQueen89]

Well.. Technically, you don't have to kill yourself to win a Darwin award. You can 'just' castrate yourself.

Or kill all possible offspring.