Two Charged After Human Catapult Death (Hold mah beer alert)

Reuters ^ | 7/15/03 | Reuters

[ibheath]

Two Charged After Human Catapult Death

Jul 15, 7:11 am ET

LONDON (Reuters) - British police charged two men with manslaughter Tuesday following the death of an Oxford University student who was flung from a giant catapult. Bulgarian Konstadin Yankov, 19, died last November when the stunt near the West Country town of Bridgewater went wrong.

"He had been thrown by a replica medieval catapult and failed to reach the landing net," said a police spokeswoman.

Yankov was on an outing with the Oxford Stunt Factory, an unofficial club at Oxford University where he was studying biochemistry. He had been the sixth person that day to be launched from the "trebuchet" catapult.

Organizers said at the time Yankov had been properly weighed and that the machine had been correctly calibrated before he was fired in a 30-yard arc. They did not know what had gone wrong.

[ibheath]

Organizers said at the time Yankov had been properly weighed and that the machine had been correctly calibrated before he was fired in a 30-yard arc. They did not know what had gone wrong.

1) Darwin Award Nominee

2) Hold Mah Beer!!!!!

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[Tijeras_Slim]

properly weighed and that the machine had been correctly calibrated

The organizers have since become contractors for NASA.

[bedolido]

Ping!

How did your interview go last night?

[cincinnati65]

Forget the Democratic debates and primaries. Let's just toss the candidates for distance.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Yankov was on an outing with the Oxford Stunt Factory, an unofficial club at Oxford University where he was studying biochemistry

Some people are educated beyond their intelligence.

[Redbob]

"Yankov was on an outing with the Oxford Stunt Factory, an unofficial club at Oxford University where he was studying biochemistry."

Why was a 19-year-old Bulgarian studying biochemistry at the Stunt Factory in the first place?

[tcostell]

Shouldn't it be a "Hold my Mead" alert? or maybe a "Hold my Ale" alert?

[Puppage]

Cum catapult proscript erat, tum soli poscript catapultas habebunt.

[Jonah Hex]

Considering the victim was Bulgarian, perhaps they should have calibrated for metric tonnes instead of Imperial tons?

"Pull!!"

[Corin Stormhands]

They should've tried it with a cow...

[Semper Paratus]

Somebody was watching too many Roadrunner cartoons.

[TN4Liberty]

Remember the Mars probe? Maybe they forgot to convert the units back to metric.

[mhking]

This is where you look for the old graphics from the Adam West "Batman" TV show: "SPLAT!"

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[Prodigal Son]

"He had been thrown by a replica medieval catapult and failed to reach the landing net," said a police spokeswoman.

He failed to show up at the net huh? He must've taken a wrong turn or he didn't flap his arms hard enough.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Dean would fly farther. He's lightest of the 7 dwarfs.

[bedolido]

Why do I expect this catapult was made by the ACME Catapult company and was purchased by a coyote?

[mhking]

[YOMO]

You beat me to it.
The ACME Supply Company was the distributer of the Catapult.

[mhking]

How did your interview go last night?

Went great! The other thread (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/945857/posts got turned into a live thread, so you can see what everyone else said (plus some screen shots of my ugly mug during the piece)...