WTF of the day:Exploding paperweight costs teacher his hand

[ed316]

Exploding paperweight costs teacher his hand





VENTURA, California (AP) -- A teacher who kept a 40 mm shell on his desk as a paperweight blew off part of his hand when he apparently used the object to try to squash a bug, authorities say.
The 5-inch-long shell exploded Monday while Robert Colla was teaching 20 to 25 students at an adult education class.
Part of Colla's right hand was severed and he suffered severe burns and minor shrapnel wounds to his forearms and torso, fire Capt. Tom Weinell said. No one else was injured. He was reported in stable condition at a hospital.
The teacher slammed the shell down in an attempt to kill something that was buzzing or crawling across the desk, said Fire Marshal Glen Albright.
Colla found the 40 mm round while hunting years ago and "obviously he didn't think the round was live," said Dennis Huston, who teaches computer design alongside Colla.
.


http://images.clickability.com/pti/spacer.gif
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/04/paperweight.explosion.ap/index.html

[dacanadianbomb]

What a Fing idiot.

[futurepilot2004]

What a dumb sh*te.

[StukaJr]

Assumptions - mother of all fudge ups.

Glad that he didn't hurt anybody else with his stupidity - worst of all, he found an UOD and did not inform anybody? I hope he is not allowed to work with children after this.

[Clete Torres]

I can't believe that StukaJr actually said "mother of all fudge ups".

[StukaJr]

I can't believe that StukaJr actually said "mother of all fudge ups".

Eh, I like to surprise people :) What's so unbelievable? I also say "Oopsey, Daisy" like an old lady at times - to the glee of my dates... And then they put out - works every time!

[kamarian]

I nominate that teacher for a future Darwin Award!

[thunderw]

Assume=A$$ out of U and ME

[Ratamacue]

I nominate that teacher for a future Darwin Award!The person needs to be killed (or otherwise removed from the genepool) before reproducing in order to be nominated.

[scrybe]

"obviously he didn't think the round was live," said Dennis Huston....

This is purely speculation!

[nullterm]

The person needs to be killed (or otherwise removed from the genepool) before reproducing in order to be nominated.

At best, he can get an honourable mention. They need to be killed, castrated, or rendered otherwise unable to reproduce.

[MaDuce]

A friend of mine who used to be in the Army told me a story like this once they had just gotten back from training with 50cals and one of the other soldiers felt it nessecary to take a round as a souvinor. He put it in his BDU pant cargo pockets and fogot to take it out. He puts them in the dryer in shortly later bang and wel.......at least no one got hurt.

[Jeremiah]

lol he could'nt pick a book to swash the bug, instead he decided to swash it with and artillery shell. freaking unbelievable de de .Another candidate for the darwin ward.

[abncougar]

but did he kill the bug??

[Insane Tadpole]

but did he kill the bug??

LOL....i think it would of

[Aerosoul]

i just can't get over how dumb this guy must have been...
hmm...i wonder if he blew off his dominant hand. sucks for you pal.

[GoSka37]

I can only hope its the hand he beats off with.

[Insane Tadpole]

I can only hope its the hand he beats off with.
most likely... ha

[scrybe]

I'm still curious where the hell he was hunting that there would be a 40mm grenade laying about.

[shorty]

I'm still curious where the hell he was hunting that there would be a 40mm grenade laying about. EXACTLY what I was thinking. Unless he was hunting on a military firing range....

[Saranof]

My friend had a bunch of bullets at home, completely illegaly of course. He also hates spiders. Once, he saw a huge ****ing specimen and threw a bullet at it.
Unfortunately, it didn't go off.

[Kilgor]

EXACTLY what I was thinking. Unless he was hunting on a military firing range....

so he could have done two stupid things. Tresspass on military firing range, and pickup a deadly explosive

Though, i would have thought that a 40mm grenade would have killed outright, and at least a few others in the room.
.

[nullterm]

It was probably the cordite/propellent that went off. Not the actual grenade itself, otherwise everyone in the room would have been full of shrapnel.

The grenade wouldn't explode unless the fuse had been activated. A safety feature of the round, if you accidentally hit something only a few feet away the grenade won't explode as it takes a bit of time for it to fuse after the round is fired... I think, but don't try it at home.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

It was probably the cordite/propellent that went off. Not the actual grenade itself, otherwise everyone in the room would have been full of shrapnel.

The grenade wouldn't explode unless the fuse had been activated. A safety feature of the round, if you accidentally hit something only a few feet away the grenade won't explode as it takes a bit of time for it to fuse after the round is fired... I think, but don't try it at home.A ex gf Dad told me that 40mm grenades mostly arm at 14-15meters and beyond, he was a munitions boffin with Hunting and BAE.

[JoaMei]

I think it was a training grenade, like one of those who just produce a flash and bang but no shrapnels.

Otherwise he wouldnt survive if it was a life HE.

[California Joe]

Most bases where I lived in Virginia allowed hunting, bow and shotgun. Occasionally someone would find ordnance and they'd notify EOD.

[h22chen]

Wow, I get to know new stuff everyday; maybe he'll check his shells in the future to see if they are still live (or maybe not, humans aren't exactly known for learning from our mistakes).

I know that you can buy cooking knives that's made from spent artillery shells in Kinmen (those were the shells that the chicoms sent over to Kinmen over the years).