Below, we’ve gathered photos of some of the most tragic ways expensive items have been destroyed, and I’ll warn you right now, they might be painful to look at. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and for some reason, it seems like the purchases we cherish the most are the things that get demolished the fastest…
Be sure to upvote the pics that have convinced you to always purchase the optional insurance, and then if you’re interested in causing yourself even more pain, you can find a couple more Bored Panda articles featuring valuable items that have taken irreparable damage here and here!
#1 Baby Ducks In The Lake
Image credits: x2o6
#2 Tech Repair Client Did This To 'Combat Overheating'
Image credits: BrysonicLightning
#3 Friend Of Mine Posted This Photo Of The Job Site Today
Image credits: rabaful
I’m not proud to admit it, but I can relate all too well to these photos, pandas. The one time I bought jeans that weren’t from a thrift store and actually cost a decent amount of money, I managed to get 3 stains on them the first time I wore them. I’ve shattered 2 iPhones, one by dropping it onto a tiled bathroom floor and the other by dropping it down an entire flight of tiled stairs. When I was 16, after having my driver’s license for one month, I got into a fender bender with my very first car. I’ve shattered glasses and plates, left my car windows down during a thunderstorm and destroyed the screen of a laptop only one month after a new one was put on (because the old one also stopped working).
Call it bad luck, clumsiness or karma for something I did in a past life, but I could see some of my possessions ending up on a list like this in the future one day. Many of these photos are even more tragic than anything I’ve experienced, though. I feel for these people, but I also can’t help but laugh. We’re all capable of doing stupid things or making mistakes that we immediately wish we could take back. Whether it’s melting your kid’s PlayStation controllers or driving your truck into a lake, everybody has those days. The important thing is that we learn from our lessons, and perhaps ensure those valuables next time around.
#4 When You Want The Luxury But Can't Afford The Extra 100 Dollar For The Safety Feature
Image credits: BA3K3N
#5 Toddler Learned How To Use The Microwave
Image credits: reddit.com
#6 My Laptop Was Murdered By A Single Grain Of Chipotle Brown Rice That Got Closed In The Screen
Image credits: kaxamdays
If you’ve got some photos in your camera roll that would be right at home on this list, don’t feel bad. Many of us do. For example, did you know that every hour, 5,761 phone screens are cracked? That’s over 50 million phone screens a year. These are primarily caused by drops, according to CNBC, and apparently, companies are working hard to solve the issue of creating a great smartphone that won’t shatter when it slips out of your hand.
“Proving that a device is durable is essential to convince people to pay more for a phone,” Francisco Jeronimo, senior research director for European mobile devices at IDC, told CNBC. “Consumers are a lot more concerned about what happens to their phone and it being able to handle certain accidents. When people spend $1,000 on a cellphone, they don’t expect it to crack the first time they drop it on the floor.” But everyone wants a thin, sleek design for their device too, which makes creating a durable phone quite the challenging task.
#7 Put Son's PS4 Controllers In The Oven Last Night To Hide Them So He'd Go To Bed. Didn't Tell The Wife, Who Then Put Oven On This Morning
Image credits: hi_robb
#8 Lost The Toes On My Prosthetic Leg After My Friend's Dog Thought The Foot Was A Chew Toy
Image credits: stalnoypirat
#9 What Happens When You Drive Into A House
Image credits: Tickle86
Even if phones become more durable than they have been in the past, we can’t stop humans from being clumsy. And apparently, Americans in particular seem to have butter fingers when it comes to holding onto their cell phones. Swns Digital reports that 52% of Americans are “always” worried about their phones. And for good reason, because the average American drops their phone at least four times every week, with most breaks happening within 10 weeks of purchasing the phone.
“Gravity seems to be a constant challenge when it comes to our smartphones,” JP Brousseau, CEO of PhoneLoops.com, told Swns Digital. “Getting a protective phone case is the first step, but even that can’t always prevent damage to your phone if you drop it. A strap offers the simplest way to keep your grip, even one-handed – and that’s what Phone Loops provide.”
#10 Overnight Coworker Sent Me This Last Night
Image credits: D0nk3yPunch912
#11 Recently Tried An Expensive Rental Clothing Subscription. UPS Threw The Package Of Clothes/Bags Into My Backyard. I Have Two Puppies
Image credits: Mckinzel
#12 At Least He's Not Texting
Image credits: Lank_Thompson
When it comes to some of the most common places where phones meet their untimely deaths, Swns Digital notes that they’ve been dropped in sewers, on the bathroom floors in bars, in hospital bathrooms, in port-o-potties, in pots of rice, in bowls of soup, in dog’s water bowls, in dumpsters, in beer cups and in trash cans. Personally, my biggest fear is my phone slipping out of my hand and sliding down a drain or through the cracks over a drain, never to be seen again. One in three Americans admitted to even dropping their phone right into the toilet. Beware of that dangerous back pocket! But apparently, nothing can convince us to be more cautious with our phones, because 76% of Americans say they would be completely lost if they were suddenly without a phone. Yet we continue to drop, shatter and destroy them all the time…
#13 My Wife’s Wedding Ring Went Missing
Image credits: coffeeandcelluloid
#14 Been Waiting 6 Weeks For A Rather Expensive Toilet So We Can Fit It At A Client's House, It Has Finally Arrived
Image credits: tommygun1234567890
#15 Oh No
Image credits: booat
Phones aren’t the only electronic devices that are prone to having their life spans cut short, though. According to Secure Data Recovery, 38% of Americans have had to replace a laptop at some point in their lifetime due to one breaking. The most common laptop mishaps include dropping them, spilling a drink on them, cracking the screen, and needing to replace the battery. And these repairs aren’t cheap. On average, Americans spend about $534 on laptop repairs during their lifetimes. Certain states are also more reckless than others when it comes to their laptops, thought. In Nevada, New Hampshire, Maryland, Alabama and Mississippi, over 50% of laptop users admit to having broken one.
#16 This Happened In Blackhawk, South Dakota. 12 Neighbors Had To Evacuate Due To The Discovery Of A Cave That Is 40x40 And 40x60 Deep
Caveners went down to the "Sink" to see what was underground.
Image credits: Andy1611
#17 My Dad Says “Google Is Doing This Stupid Thing Where The Blur The Top Left Part Of The Results. Facebook Is Doing It Too Actually.” He Melted The Top Left Corner Of His Screen
Image credits: unidentifies
#18 Finally, After A Year I Was Able To Buy A Retail PS5. My Dog Was Super Excited Too
Image credits: waybackwhen15
If you’re now scared of your laptop meeting an untimely death, it might be useful to be aware of some of the most common mistakes that lead to a broken laptop. According to Make Use Of, laptop users need to be mindful of keeping their devices cool and avoiding situations where they’re exposed to excess heat. Laptops have fans to expel internal heat, but if the fan gets blocked, it can be extremely dangerous. “Some react to this and will shut down automatically. But others will suffer through the heat as they slowly bake to death,” Make Use Of explains. “Furniture, carpets, and blankets are all surfaces that can wreak havoc on a laptop. Wherever you place your laptop, make sure the vent has a clear path to do its job. Even a pile of books that's too close to your laptop can cause problems if the air exhaust is blocked.”
#19 On The First Night Of Vacation And We Go To Pull Out The Sofa Bed For The Kids And Hear A Loud Crunching Sound
Son’s iPhone fell between the cushions and got caught in the hinges of the bed frame.
Image credits: flippity_dippity_doo
#20 Somebody Had An Expensive Oopsie At ORD Last Night
Image credits: rulingthewake243
#21 My Bedroom Ceiling Collapsed
Image credits: deus_voltaire
Another potential threat to your laptop is ruining its disk drive. Be careful not to rattle your device too much, or it might take damage and cost you your data. “You can reduce the risk of HDD failure by only adjusting your laptop gently and not moving it when running a program that frequently accesses the hard drive,” Make Use Of writes. “Treat your laptop gently, with no quick movements. Even if your computer has an SSD, you should know the signs of SSD failure to detect problems early.”
#22 If You Are Ever Tempted To Throw Your Styrofoam Cup Of Soda Out The Window On The Highway, Don't
Image credits: autotech1011
#23 Yesterday, Sinkhole Opened Under Private Pool In Israel, And 1 Person Missing
Image credits: MaliTheMinecraftCat
#24 New Guy At Work Made An Oopsie
Image credits: LowNslow09
Aside from the actual laptop itself, it’s also important to take care of its cords and charger if you want to avoid purchasing any replacements. The cords are typically thin and easy to move, but they can only withstand so much stretching and contorting. “A common form of this issue occurs when someone wraps the cord over some other object to keep it bundled. Sometimes that object has sharp edges, which cut into the cord,” Make Use Of explains. “And this isn't just for obvious blunders like knives; a hard plastic edge is all it takes. In some cases, power adapters will even damage the cable if you wrap the cord around the brick.”
“Avoid this problem by bundling a cord over itself. Most cords come packaged this way when you receive them, and some include a little piece of Velcro you can use to keep the cord together. If your cable doesn't have Velcro, you can buy some yourself for cheap or use an adjustable zip tie. As a fallback, know how to roll a cable in a way that won't damage it.”
#25 Ice Makers Failed To Store Ice (Picture After 2 Days Of Melting)
Image credits: dhudd32
#26 So The Car I Was Test-Driving And Really Liked Went Up In Flames
I was test-driving a 2020 Ford Escape and really liked it. When I put it in reverse we heard a clunk noise and smoke started billowing from the hood. 2 minutes later it was engulfed in flames.
Image credits: mightymattii
#27 Using Water Instead Of Oil In Your Engine
Image credits: Micheiba
Are you feeling like you need to bubble wrap everything you own right about now? Life is unpredictable, and we can never be sure when tragedies such as these will strike, but we can do our best to avoid them. Buy those protective phone cases, get great insurance and don’t be reckless with your valuables. Keep upvoting the pics that you find particularly painful, and then let us know in the comments if you’ve ever accidentally destroyed something valuable that would warrant a spot on this list. Then, if you’d like to see even more of these tragic photos, you can find a couple more Bored Panda lists on this topic here and here!
#28 What Could Go Wrong With Putting Solar Panels Near A Golf Course?
Image credits: NeedleworkerBulky456
#29 Forgetting About Your $5,000 Bike On Your Roof Rack As You Pull Into The Garage
Image credits: richard_67
#30 Just Bought My First House. Was Told There Was Hardwood Under All The Carpet. Looks Like I’ll Be Spending Too Much Money On New Flooring Now
I tested a discreet corner in the closet before, which did in fact have hardwood beneath. But not the living room.
Image credits: Ezack
#31 My Wife Said She Had Something Crazy To Show Me After We Ate Lunch
Image credits: bigandy1105
#32 Slipped In The Shower, Landed On The Toilet
Image credits: Bonsonoptic
#33 Paid $31 In Shipping Costs To Ship A Discontinued Crystal Picture Frame
Image credits: affable_discourse
#34 Cable Guy Drills A Hole In The Side Of House, Into A Closet, Through A Guitar Case, And Right Through A Martin HD-28V
Image credits: kol_kay
#35 So Much For That Expensive Cat Furniture
Image credits: GeneReddit123
#36 Found My Phone With The Snowblower. How Much Rice Do I Need To Fix This?
Image credits: mungwhisperer
#37 Saved Up Enough Money To Order A Nintendo Switch From Walmart+ And The Box Arrived Empty
Image credits: YouDontTellMe
#38 My Friend’s 2 Labradors Spent His Stimulus Money While He Was At Work
Image credits: caffeinatedelirium
#39 Driving Into A Multistory? No Problemo
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#40 Just Lost Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Product At Work. Most Likely Getting Fired
Image credits: Taclysis
#41 Customer With Her Child Spilled Goo On This 60-Dollar Children's Recliner. She Didn't Even Apologize
Image credits: Gigadodosaurus
#42 My Tenancy Ends Tomorrow After 2 Years In This Flat. Today, While Cleaning And Getting Everything Ready To Move Out, I Hit The Oven's Door And Broke The Glass
Bye bye sweet deposit money.
Image credits: cheekibreekio
#43 I’ve Been Saving Up For A Switch For A Couple Of Months Now. I Finally Got It Last Week And Found This In My Dog’s Mouth This Morning
Image credits: yhandi
#44 Bought A Case For The Switch Lite I Got For My Son's Birthday Later This Week. Had No Idea The Amazon Driver Yeeted It Over The Back Fence, The Dog Opened It Up And Destroyed It
Then I slipped and got my clothes caked in mud whilst retrieving it from the garden.
Image credits: 9DAN2
#45 My Dog Found My Rainy-Day Stash And Ate It
Image credits: BullfrogOscar22
#46 Apparently The Kids Were Too Distracted To Shut The Door
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#47 Ferrari Enzo ($2.5 Million) Crashed By Delivery Driver Enroute To New Owner
Image credits: World-Good
#48 Ground Staff Pulled The Wrong Handle And MD-80's Butt Fell Off
Image credits: kraven420
#49 Neighbor Having Dead Tree Cut Down. The Contractor Made A Little Mistake
Image credits: tcridley
#50 Accident And Backup On I-84 Near Pendleton, Oregon
Image credits: Fox_Davis
#51 Someone Crashed A GT2 RS While On A Test Drive In LA
Image credits: ihasRyzen
#52 Saturday Night Fun Turned Out To Be Around $1000 More Expensive Than Planned
Image credits: SeaLink651
#53 When You Own An Expensive Car And A Naughty Dog
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#54 Had A Leak Develop In Our Laboratory This Morning. Nobody Was On Campus To Catch It So There Was 4 Inches Of Standing Water And Countless Ruined Pieces Of Equipment
Image credits: anothergrad_student
#55 Probably The Most Expensive Treat He’s Ever Got
Image credits: De-Eh-Team
#56 My Diploma That I Spent Countless Hours And Thousands Of Dollars To Get
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#57 The Paint Spilled
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#58 One Clogged Toilet Later, And This Has Fast Become The Most Expensive Poop I've Ever Taken
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#59 When Your Expensive Car Gets Ruined
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#60 Good Morning To Everyone Except My Dog Who Doesn’t Understand “Expensive Taste” Is Just A Figure Of Speech
Image credits: GunMTL_Grace
#61 My 600-Dollar Fish Tank Fell Over And Smashed
Image credits: BluzdyTech
#62 Project On "Gandhi"
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#63 My Dad Said He Would Make Dinner Today And Grilled The Expensive Bullet Steak I Bought. This Is The Result
Image credits: eternityforum
#64 After Months Of Saving Money For A New Guitar, All That Money Will Have To Be Spent On A New Pair Of Glasses Instead
Image credits: LilMixelle
#65 An Alaska Airlines 737 Recently Hit A Bear In Yakutat Alaska
Image credits: AlaskanGamerChild
#66 My View From My Super Expensive Hotel Room
Image credits: stargazedstoner
#67 Really Expensive Video Camera RED Frozen
Image credits: SRJtheBoss
#68 My Wife Didn't Put Away Her $300.00 Stetson Hat. Our Dog Reminded Her
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#69 Came Home From Work To Find Out My Dog Destroyed My Feather Pillow
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#70 My $1200 PC Was Just Pulled Off My Desk By My Dog
Image credits: Speedywombat123
#71 Does This Make My Cat An Abstract Expressionist?
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#72 My Cat Escaped Into The Garage, Sat On My Car Roof, Then Knocked Over A Ladder And Dented My Car
Image credits: buckeye_man18
#73 The Coworker’s Kids Left The Van Door Open Before A Storm
Image credits: zeldadorf
#74 What Is More Expensive Than A Pair Of Scissors? A 3-Year-Old With $54 And A Pair Of Scissors
Image credits: ohmygravey
#75 Someone Left A Grill On In The Parking Lot At The Dolphins-Patriots Game
Image credits: sweettouch007
#76 20 Minutes After Closing The Sale Of My House The New Owners Sent Me These Photos
The moving company lifted my container too high and smashed through the wall. That siding is no longer produced so the entire house needs to be re-sided.
Image credits: pattywagon95
#77 Delivery Robot Tries To Walk Across Undried Cement
Image credits: 42how_
#78 A Stray Bullet On New Year's Eve Lands In A Guy's Phone At Beirut Airport
Image credits: JoeJml
#79 Took My FJ Off-Road, And Got Stuck In The Mud Miles From The Road
Image credits: Poop_Taxi
#80 My House Got Hit By A Tornado Yesterday, It's Heavily Damaged But Still Standing, And Nobody Is Injured. I Have No Idea How To Get The Grill Out Of My Pool's Deep End Though
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#81 Patient At Our Eye Clinic Just Got A New Dog
Image credits: goatviewdotcom
#82 My Neighbor Spent A Ton Of Money On A Granite Mailbox Post. They Used An “O” Instead Of A Zero To Make The Street Number. It Annoys Me Every Time I Walk By
Image credits: mollymoose75
#83 2020 In One Picture
Image credits: PHON3-BOi
#84 Bought My Husband This Expensive Knife For Christmas... He Put The Knife Through The Dishwasher
Image credits: ranchtacosalad
#85 Don’t Hide Money-Filled Easter Eggs In The Oven
Image credits: HunkyChunkyLemon
#86 I Paid Good Money For My Lawn Service To Do This
Image credits: DomesticatedLady
#87 So I’ve Just Bought Some Gluten Free Bread (Mind You, It Is 4 Times More Expensive Than Regular Bread). As It May Be Expected, I’m Infuriated
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#88 The 11 Smartphones That My Mom’s Boyfriend Has Broken In The Year They’ve Been Together. Some Of Them Were His, Some Were Hers, And One Of Them Was Even Mine
Image credits: ThayPastaGuy
#89 This Seems Like An Expensive Mistake
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#90 Left A Bottle Of Expensive, Necessary Prescription Pills In My Pocket When I Ran It Through The Wash
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#91 That Guitar Was Expensive. Was
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#92 Dog Decided My Expensive Remote Was A Chew Toy
Image credits: thelastskookum
#93 My View From The Famous And Expensive Venetian Hotel In Las Vegas
Image credits: Jaffar10
#94 Mom's Car's Front Lid (Forgot What It's Called Sorry) Popped Open Whilst Driving And Smacked Into The Windshield, Also Broke The Windshield Wipers
We were driving home cause I was too sick to work today when outta nowhere the lid popped open while we were doing 35 Luckily we were next to a Walmart parking lot. Feels like life just keeps kneecapping my family with expenses that we can't afford whenever we feel like we can take a deep breath and relax a little.
Image credits: JoJo_Gutaro
#95 My Father Borrowed My Expensive Japanese Knife
Image credits: san0andreas
#96 The Neighbor's New Fence Knocked Out Our Internet. Then Their Dog Ate The Replacement Line
Image credits: hoop-d-lishus
#97 Great-Grandfather Was An Airmail Pilot, Found These Photos With His Stuff
Image credits: Tillybug_Pug
#98 That Will Buff Out
Image credits: -HypocrisyFighter-
#99 Company Didn't Want To Pay To Fix The Heaters. Now They Have To Pay To Replace The Plumbing, Fix 4 Of 6 Client-Owned Networks, And Fix The Heaters
Image credits: bandley3
#100 Red Wing's 2233 Popular Among Dogs Too
Image credits: Corona4100
#101 Was In A Middle Seat And Paid Extra Money To Upgrade To A "Window" Seat
Image credits: baconismadefromcats
#102 Amusement Park Pizza. Cost Me $11
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#103 I Lost My Phone On A Festival, A Few Hours Later I Found It Burning Next To The Campfire
Image credits: lennardfuell
#104 Spilled An Expensive Bottle Of Ink
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#105 My LG's Legs Weren't Properly Installed, 600 Euros Down The Drain
Image credits: Sebas94
#106 That's A 1.5-Million $ Fender Bender
Image credits: YourLivesAreReposts
#107 Admiring My Pretty New Bottle Of Expensive Face Oil And
Image credits: SanFranPeach
#108 Spent Over 100 Dollars On Expensive Aquarium Carpeting Plants. My Goldfish Both Uprooted And Ate All Of Them In The Span Of 5 Minutes
Image credits: Chichen-Itza-Pizza
#109 Took A Decently Expensive Whisky To Cheers The New Year With Some Friends And This Managed To Happen To The Bottle On The Way Home - It Was Almost Full
Image credits: drolhtiarW
#110 Skipped Breakfast, Stood Up Too Fast, Passed Out While Taking An Exam During A Zoom Meeting, Fell On My Most Expensive Piece Of Furniture
Shattered my phone, cut my ear on the broken glass, strained a bicep, and couldn’t submit the exam on time. How’s your day going?
Image credits: probably_juicy
#111 My Apple Watch Got One-Shotted Because Of A Single Slip At Tennis Practice. Too Much For “Hard Knocks” Apple
Image credits: Turtloblade
#112 My Cat Decided To Urinate On My New Switch, Instead Of Literally Anywhere Else
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#113 Hella Expensive Bird Chews - Hella Expensive PC
Image credits: mythic_pancake_45
#114 My Dog Thought This Unused $100 Amazon Gift Card Looked Like A Good Snack
Not only is the dog a jerk, but gift cards are now made of very appetizing paper instead of plastic making it much easier to shred.
Image credits: lifestrikes
#115 I Paid $19 For 8 Of These Tiny Wings From A Local BBQ Joint
Image credits: sexyc3po
#116 Dog Ate My Money
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#117 This Is What Happens When You Let Your Little Brothers Use Your 185-Dollar Gaming Headset For Their Xbox
Image credits: 5ftglizzy69420
#118 Got My Special And Expensive Shampoo From Amazon Today
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#119 Bought A $150 Badminton Racquet A Week Ago And Today, While Playing Doubles, My Friend Used The Racquet And It Collided With His Partner's Racquet. $150 Down The Drain
Image credits: RishdaFish08
#120 We Left Our New Dog Alone For Half An Hour. Expensive Lesson Learned
Image credits: mirarom
#121 Red-Tailed Hawk vs. Windshield At 65mph. And When I Already Have A Few Possibly Expensive Engine Repairs To Get Taken Care Of
Image credits: zytukin
#122 Spilled A Glass Of Wine Onto My Extremely Expensive Laptop. Keep Liquids Away From Your Electronics, Kids
Image credits: _melodyy_
#123 My Dog Ate My Apple Pencil
Image credits: TheFlamingTiger777
#124 My Girlfriend's Brother's Dog Ate My $250 Car Key. He Refuses To Pay. Glad I Have A Spare
Image credits: hotwheelearl
#125 $6 For This Tiny Smoothie
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#126 I Was Gifted This Expensive Candle But It Doesn’t Have A Wick
Image credits: slipperyslope89
#127 I Got More Expensive Cat Food Brands Because I Realized That The Cheaper Brand Wasn’t All That Healthy. The Cat Won’t Eat The Damn Food
Image credits: invisibleace21