Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down How One Mistake Ruined Someone's Entire Life

Person alone on the beach
person standing beside seashore
Photo by - - on Unsplash

We've all made decisions we regret.

Thankfully, sometimes these decisions result in little to no consequences or can be easily fixed with some time and healing.

In other cases, one error in judgment might have permanent ramifications: causing an effective end to a friendship, irrevocably damaging your financial situation, or even resulting in permanent physical damage.

In some more serious cases, these mistakes might even result in someone's life coming to an end.

All heartbreaking scenarios which could have been easily avoided with a little more care and consideration.


Redditor OrderPuzzled8165 was curious to learn about times where one single mistake resulted in permanent negative impacts on people's lives, leading them to ask:
"Who destroyed their entire life by making one mistake?"

Check Your Surroundings First

"I once worked as a personal assistant for a person who broke his neck due to diving into snow that was a little too hard."-tubzz2

A Wasted Career

"Boban Jankovic, basketball player."

"Copied from Wikipedia : 'Janković thought he scored a basket on a drive to the hoop while being guarded by Panathinaikos player Fragiskos Alvertis'."

"'However, the referee Stelios Koukoulekidis, called an offensive foul on him'."

"'It was Janković's fifth foul of the game, which meant that he had fouled out'."

"'In reaction to what he believed was a bad call at a crucial moment of a very important playoff game, Janković slammed his head hard against the padded concrete goal post'."

"He permanently damaged his spinal cord and was unable to walk for the rest of his life'."- bryanmills33

NEVER USE YOUR PHONE WHILE DRIVING!

"Near me there was a serious traffic collision."

"Several cars and 2 trucks."

"3 people died when one truck ploughed into stationary traffic at around 50mph."

"The crash and resulting fire was so horrific 2 people were only identified by their dead dog on the carriageway."

"It was microchipped."

"It was on the BBC news and have been documentaries about it."

"The truck driver was on his phone."

"He was charged and is now in prison."- Tabby_Tibs

How Could It Have Possibly Been Worth It?

"That dude who ate a slug as a dare."- valcallis

Violence Is Never The Answer

"Respected cardiothoracic surgeon tells a guy to stop smoking right outside the hospital doors."

"Guy turns around and punches him a single time in the head."

"King-hit, or coward punched, whatever you want to call it."

"He falls to the floor and hits his head a second time."

"On life support for four weeks."

"Nothing left to save."- Reddit

You Never Know Who You Can Trust

"My father."

"Years ago he started a trucking company with his best friend at the time."

"The HQ of the company was in a neighbor state, a six hours drive or about 40 minute flight."

"And for some reason, my dad just wouldn’t visit his company."

"Even with my mother pressing him to actually take care of his business, he would alway say he trusted his friend and since he only did the accounting for the company he only needed the reports his friend would send him."

"Long story short, his 'best friend' scammed him out a million bucks, driving both their company and my family to complete bankruptcy and f*cked off to live in some tropical paradise."- theapothecarium

Some People Get What They Deserve

"Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer."

"He avoided arrest for 30 years, then, in an apparent need for attention, began writing to the police, basically mocking them for never having caught him."

"He asked the cops if they would be able to trace a floppy disk if he sent one to them."

"They said no."

"He sent it."

"They traced it."

"They arrested him and he's in prison for life."- President_Calhoun

There Are People Who Can Help You

"Doing fentanyl once destroyed my life for 3ish years."

"I was a complete shell and zombie. almost died too, overdosed 4 times."

"Lucky i got my sh*t together and will be 5 months sober in two days."- mission_mayhem

Some Risks Are Worth Taking

"I'm 49 years old, that context is relevant."

"When I was in college, a friend of mine started a company with a professor."

"This company was basically the first social network, I won't list its name here."

"This was in the early 90s."

"He offered me a job as employee number 4 or 5."

"I didn't know what the hell the internet was, let alone understand the concept of a social network."

"I knew he wasn't going to pay me much. I turned him down."

"Three years later, that company was sold for $190mm."

"They still only had a few employees."

"Every employee had equity and every employee made millions by age 25, including several other friends."

"I was a junior employee at an insurance company when I heard."

"Gah."

"Several of those people have gone on to very successful careers in technology and private equity."

"They were all basically set for life because of a quick decision they made at age 21."

"I've had an excellent career so far, I haven't 'destroyed my life'."

"But I think about this frequently."- hiro111

There's A Reason Stealing Is A Sin

"I knew of a girl who thought it was a good idea to steal a good sized amount of drugs from a guy she was partying with and then attempt to board a flight with it."

"She got caught by customs and ended up doing time."

"Dumb."- mrnoire

Couldn't This Be Viewed As Self-Defense?

"Friend was having a beer in a tavern."

"Some guys came in and started messing with my friend."

"He moved seats twice and then got up to leave when one of the guys threw a punch."

"My friend threw ONE punch back and the guy he hit landed in the ICU and wasn't expected to live."

"Friend was sitting in jail waiting just waiting for the guy he punched to either die or recover."

"Turns out the guy he punched recovered."

"Friend took a reduced charge of aggravated assault...a felony."

"One punch."- Noelle305

Actions have consequences.

Though we all have some trouble controlling our impulses every now and then.

But sometimes a short pause and a deep breath is all it takes to prevent us from making a mistake we'd regret for the rest of our lives.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Matthew Lawrence; Robin Williams
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images; Vera Anderson/WireImage via Getty Images

Matthew Sparks Outrage with AI Robin

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Matthew Lawrence sparked controversy after suggesting that his late co-star and cultural icon Robin Williams should be the next “voice of AI.”

Hey Siri, Matthew Lawrence has a bad idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Azealia Banks
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Azealia Banks: "No One Is Born Gay"

Controversial rapper and outspoken MAGA supporter Azealia Banks ignited a firestorm online this weekend after posting a series of offensive and inflammatory messages—ranging from defending Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, to claiming that being gay or transgender isn’t “natural.”

On Sunday, Banks began the day by downplaying Trump’s alleged relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Referencing unsealed court documents that list numerous celebrities and politicians linked to Epstein’s network, Banks brushed off the former president’s alleged involvement in a now-deleted post on X.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Liam Neeson And Pamela Anderson Offer Cagey Response After Being Asked If They're Dating

Since the filming of the Naked Gun reboot, a lot of attention has been focused on the returning Liam Neeson and his fabulous costar, Pamela Anderson, but people have not been able to help but wonder if there's more to it than just good on-screen chemistry.

Throughout the promotional tour for the movie, the actors have been incredibly interactive with each other, telling jokes and making each other laugh, and not so subtly touching, including holding hands, hugging, and kissing each other on the cheek.

Keep ReadingShow less
Matt Groening
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

'Simpsons' Creator Epically 'Predicts' How Kids Will 'Liberate' Their MAGA Parents

If you've lost loved ones to the MAGA cult, fear not: The children are the future.

That's according to creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening, who just issued a prediction of how today's kids will "liberate their Republican parents" from far-right brainwashing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alex Grace; Giovanni Capriglione
@alaskaunicornco/TikTok; WFAA/YouTube

Exotic Dancer Reveals Affair With MAGA Rep. Who Authored Texas Abortion Ban—And Claims He Paid For 'Several' Abortions

Vehemently anti-abortion Texas MAGA Republican state Representative Giovanni Capriglione has admitted to cheating on his wife, but still denies his affair partner's claim he paid for her to have multiple abortions.

Why is this important?

Keep ReadingShow less