FT159:09 Iron Frisbee Hazard This bizarre Highway hazard can be fatal. Odis Sitton was killed on 30 August 1989 when a manhole cover leapt from the road and smashed through his windscreen in Rochester, New York. An identical accident in Pittsburgh on 1 August 1991 decapitated Mary Vehec, 23, in front of her children. [FT54:6, 57:29, 68:18] The AFU and Urban Legend Archive Medical [T] Snowmobilers lose their heads over a shortcut. Dr. Wright previously held a Medical Examiner position in Vermont. He related to me that in his tenure there, he had conducted at least three postmortems on beheaded snowmobilers. Their fates were the results of wires strung between trees at head-height. He commented on "how far the {snowmobile and trunk} goes before it stops".... One can realistically assume the wires were installed by those private landowners upset over trespassing by snowmobilers, but there is no direct proof of that assertion. The Electronic Telegraph | 15 August 2000 Soccer fan is decapitated A DANISH soccer fan who put his head through the skylight of a bus carrying supporters home was decapitated when the bus passed under a bridge. The headless corpse of the 30-year-old man fell back into the double-decker vehicle which was carrying 40 supporters of FC Copenhagen back to the capital after a goalless away draw against Viborg. The skylight is intended only as an emergency exit and is not supposed to be opened in transit. Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 08:55:03 EST Subject: News in the UK A man has been beheaded by a virgin. He apparantly was hanging over a railway platform when a high speed Virgin train knocked his block off. Thomas the Tank Engine kills pornographer THOMAS' TRAIN SUICIDE MAN FACED PORNOGRAPHY PROBE By Tim Clarke, PA News 17th Nov 1999 A man killed when he hurled himself in front of a Thomas the Tank Engine train was under investigation by customs officers for importing pornography, it emerged today. Brian Wakley, 42, was decapitated when the 250-tonne locomotive, carrying around 120 children and parents, ran over him on the private Swanage Railway line in Dorset last month. At an inquest into the death of Mr Wakley, who was a volunteer on the railway, it emerged that Customs and Excise officers had visited his home in Colyford near Colyton, Devon to carry out a search warrant on October 23. After seizing equipment, Mr Wakley - who worked as a video technician at a local school - was then told by officers he would be interviewed by police the next day. Instead, Mr Wakley drove to Dorset, abandoned his car near the privately run railway line, before flinging himself in front of the locomotive. The Thomas the Tank Engine event is one of the railway's most popular attractions, with the front of the steam train made up to look like the popular animated character Driver of the train Kevin Martin told the Bournemouth hearing he had seen Mr Wakley appear from a wooded area near a footpath known as Wilderness Crossing. He said: "He crouched down very purposefully, without looking either left or right. Then he dived at the rail. "It was very obvious that he intended to go in front of the train. I put my head back inside the cab, and then when I looked back down the track I could see a body pushed up flush against the rail. "It was obvious we had run him over, and it looked pretty final." Mr Wakley's sister June Millman said the visit to her brother's home, which he shared with his elderly parents, had left him very anxious. Mrs Millman said: "I called the doctor because I was very concerned about him. The doctor asked him if he was going to do anything silly. "His reply was `It would not be silly after all they have accused me of'." Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset deputy coroner Sherif Payne praised the actions of the train driver for not stopping immediately after the incident. After recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Payne said: "It was extremely fortunate that the train was not stopped. If children on board had been met with this site it would have been quite horrific." Following the hearing, a spokesman for Customs confirmed that Mr Wakley had been the subject of an investigation by anti-smuggling officers from Plymouth in relation to the importation of indecent and obscene material. [more reasons for Methos to not like the sea] Yahoo! Headlines The Scotsman Tuesday May 16, 12:51 PM Trawlerman is decapitated in winch accident A FISHERMAN has been killed in a horrific accident at sea. Ronald Allan, 32, was working on a trawler when he stumbled on deck. As he put out his arm to steady himself it caught in heavy steel rope being wound round a winch. Before any of his crew mates could stop the machinery,Mr Allan was dragged intothe powerful winch and decapitated. The 130-ft Banff-registered trawler, Solstice II, was fishing in calm seas about 300 miles out in the Atlantic, near Rockall, on Saturday morning, but news of the accident only emerged yesterday. The vessel's skipper, George West, and his crew of six immediately headed for the west coast port of Lochinver where Mr Allan's body was landed on Sunday. It was then driven 100 miles to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for a post-mortem examination. Inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Board were understood to be waiting at the Sutherland port for the arrival of the vessel. Being dragged into a winch - in modern large trawlers there may be as many as a dozen - is the greatest fear of fishermen, even more so than falling overboard. Over the years there have been many deaths and horrific injuries caused by fishermen being pulled into winches. The Solstice II and its sister ship Audacious are owned by skipper brothers Ian and Billy Gatt, of Whitehills, Banffshire, in partnership with their agents, the Denholm Fish Selling Company. Mr West, of Whitehills, a relief skipper, was in command at the time of the accident. Yesterday, the Solstice II was tied up in Lochinver harbour where it is likely to remain until after the crewman's funeral. A spokesman for Denholm Fish Selling at Buckie said: "I don't know the exact details of the tragedy, but it has come as a great shock to us all." A fatal accident inquiry is expected to be held at Lochmaddy in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. A spokesman for the Inverness-based Northern Constabulary said: "A report will be going to the procurator-fiscal in Lochmaddy." Mr Allan of Boyne Place, Whitehills, leaves a wife Nicola and two young children, Rhiannon and Rachel. The Solstice II, one of the most modern vessels in the Scottish fleet, was built two years ago for about £4 millionat the Ailsa Troon Yard in Ayrshire. Copyright © The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Copyright © 2000 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Yahoo! Headlines The Scotsman Tuesday May 16, 12:51 PM Trawlerman is decapitated in winch accident A FISHERMAN has been killed in a horrific accident at sea. Ronald Allan, 32, was working on a trawler when he stumbled on deck. As he put out his arm to steady himself it caught in heavy steel rope being wound round a winch. Before any of his crew mates could stop the machinery, Mr Allan was dragged into the powerful winch and decapitated. The 130-ft Banff-registered trawler, Solstice II, was fishing in calm seas about 300 milesout in the Atlantic, near Rockall, on Saturday morning, but news of the accident only emerged yesterday. The vessel's skipper, George West, and his crew of six immediately headed for the west coast port of Lochinver where Mr Allan's body was landed on Sunday. It was then driven 100 miles to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for a post-mortem examination. Inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Board were understood to be waiting at the Sutherland port for the arrival of the vessel. Being dragged into a winch - in modern large trawlers there may be as many as a dozen - is the greatest fear of fishermen, even more so than falling overboard. Over the years there have been many deaths and horrific injuries caused by fishermen being pulled into winches. The Solstice II and its sister ship Audacious are owned by skipper brothers Ian and Billy Gatt, of Whitehills, Banffshire, in partnership with their agents, the Denholm Fish Selling Company. Mr West, of Whitehills, a relief skipper, was in command at the time of the accident. Yesterday, the Solstice II was tied up in Lochinver harbour where it is likely to remain until after the crewman's funeral. A spokesman for Denholm Fish Selling at Buckie said: "I don't know the exact details of the tragedy, but it has come as a great shock to us all." A fatal accident inquiry is expected to be held at Lochmaddy in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. A spokesman for the Inverness-based Northern Constabulary said: "A report will be going to the procurator-fiscal in Lochmaddy." Mr Allan of Boyne Place, Whitehills, leaves a wife Nicola and two young children, Rhiannon and Rachel. The Solstice II, one of the most modern vessels in the Scottish fleet, was built two years ago for about £34 million at the Ailsa Troon Yard in Ayrshire. Copyright The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Copyright 2000 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. The Electronic Telegraph - 19 September 2000 Human head in cod identified A HUMAN head found inside a huge cod off Australia has been identified by dental records as that of a fisherman who fell from the boat that later caught the fish. Michael Edwards, 39, of Cairns, Queensland, fell from the Loray 60 miles north-east of Townsville. Hours later, a 4ft 4in flowery cod was hauled aboard. The head was discovered two days later by staff at a filleting factory. (from The Age (Melbourne) 29.8.00) Remains of human head found in fish Source: AAP Published: Tuesday August 29, 5:07 PM BRISBANE: The remains of a human head found inside a large cod were believed to be those of a trawler fisherman who fell overboard more than two days ago. Detective Sgt Dave Miles of Cairns CIB said the fish was caught by a Cairns-based trawler off Townsville at the weekend and then sold to a seafood wholesaler who alerted police after making the grisly discovery. Police today named the missing man as 39-year-old Michael Peter Edwards of Cairns. An air and sea search had been mounted but was called off early this afternoon after police received information about the cod. Mr Edwards was believed to have fallen from the trawler near The Slasher's Reef, 50kms north-east of Townsville around 1am on Sunday. The remains of the head have not yet been identified and will be subject to forensic testing over the next few days, Sgt Miles said. No further details were available. (from The Courier Mail (Brisbane) 30.8.00) Man's head found in fish Sara Bradford, Cairns bureau 30 aug 00 THE head of a man was found in the belly of a giant cod in Cairns yesterday. Police are waiting on results of a post mortem examination today but it is expected to be that of fisherman, Michael Peter Edwards, 39. Mr Edwards fell overboard from the fishing boat, Loray, east of Slashers Reef 95km north-east of Townsville on Sunday. An intensive search had failed to find him and it is believed the cod was caught in that general area. The grisly discovery was made just after 1pm yesterday at Cairns wholesalers, A Fine Kettle O'Fish, as staff began preparing the 44kg, 160cm flowery cod for processing. Fine Kettle O'Fish director Peter Monson described yesterday as "a bit of an unusual day" at the factory. He said the staff had been "more than surprised" to find the human remains. "In the past we have found a 9kg Chinaman fish intact inside the intestines of a cod of a similar size," he said. "The cods have a huge mouth span." Fine Kettle O'Fish managing director Graeme Hopkirk said: "It was an unfortunate incident... it was found while we were processing other fish as well. "We just want to get back to work." Mr Hopkirk said the cod was caught by a Cairns fisherman but police would not comment on whether it had been among the catch brought in by the Loray. Det Snr Sgt Dave Miles of Cairns CIB said the head and fish were retained for a post mortem examination. "We hope forensic testing will identify the remains," he said. Shortly after the grisly discovery, Townsville Water Police called off the search for Mr Edwards. (from The Age (Melbourne) 31.8.00) CREW FIND FISH THAT SWALLOWED COLLEAGUE By GREG ROBERTS BRISBANE Thursday 31 August 2000 A huge fish that swallowed the head of a missing fisherman was caught by his former crewmates on the boat from which he fell. Michael Peter Edwards, 39, vanished shortly after 1am on Sunday when he fell from the Cairns-based boat, the Loray, near Slashers Reef, 90 kilometres north-east of Townsville, while it was anchored. Police were dispatched immediately to the boat, which remained anchored in the same spot until the search was called off about midday on Monday. No trace of Mr Edwards was found. According to police sources, the crew, although distressed, decided to fish for the remainder of Monday afternoon before returning to Cairns. "The fishing out there was excellent," said Mr Graeme Hopkirk, manager of Cairns fish wholesaler Fine Kettle O'Fish. "As soon as they threw a line in, something would grab it." Among the catch was a 44-kilogram, 1.6-metre estuary cod. Police sources said it was bought by Fine Kettle O'Fish on Tuesday. Preliminary forensic tests of the head yesterday were inconclusive, but police sources said there is no doubt about its identity. There were no suspicious circumstances. The Queensland Museum's assistant fish curator, Jeff Johnson, said the head was most probably the remains of a body which had been dismembered by sharks, which habitually follow trawlers. Mr Johnson said the large cod species have "voluminous" mouths. "They are not fussy. They'll eat anything alive or dead, as long as it is smaller than them," he said. FT140 26 Cod eats man's head