A 62-year-old man from Independence Township, Detroit is recovering in hospital after an alcohol, gunpowder and gasoline fueled accident, which occurred at his annual sledding party.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the unnamed man, strapped on a rocket backpack of his own construction and sat down on his sled. The purpose of the rocket backpack, according to Independence Township undersheriff Mike McCabe was, “to get a rocket-launch effect”.
The ill-conceived plan came to a predictable end when the rocket, which was constructed from an old car muffler and fueled with gasoline and gunpowder, exploded while he raced down a hill.
McCabe clarifies exactly what happened:
He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride, the device exploded.
At the time of writing the man is in a stable condition with second-degree burns to his face and the right side of his body – and while second-degree burns are never something to be thankful for, our anonymous rocket man should probably count himself lucky that he did not end up with a Darwin award for his troubles.
[Image: Rocket sledding as it should be done (with proper safety equipment and rocket secured to sled)]
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