14 December 2004, Heaton Chapel, England
England's double-decker buses are not just pretty to look at, they're also incredibly heavy, weighing in at 10 tons or more. They're about as easy to stop as a good-sized yacht. John Rothwell, 40, probably wasn't considering this when he confronted a double-decker from three feet away, armed only with a brick.

John had been upstairs on the bus with two drunken companions, a man and a woman. One of the men hit the woman, who ran downstairs crying for help. The driver immediately stopped the bus to see what was happening. The two men tumbled down the stairs in pursuit.

One of the men forced open the doors of the bus and ran off. The second man followed him. When all seemed calm again, the confused bus driver began to continue on his route. The bus was just 30 feet down the road, traveling about 10 mph, when John darted in front, hefting a foot-long ornamental brick he had pulled from a nearby wall. Standing just three feet in front of the bus, John tossed the brick at the bus driver.

Despite being showered with shattered glass from the windshield, the driver braked and swerved to avoid the former passenger. But it was too late. John was crushed under the wheels and died later at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.