That crunch when backing up a car, or the crash of a bowl slipping off the table, there are certain sounds that just make us inwardly groan. From cleanup to embarrassment or material cost, disasters and accidents are never fun. But once it’s our wallet removed from the equation, we do have an interesting fascination with seeing things break.
The “That Looked Expensive” internet group is dedicated to documenting accidents, fails, and disasters that might make you shudder a little bit. So get comfortable, bless your lucky stars that your stuff isn’t on this list, and upvote your favorite examples.
#1 Jerks Ruined The Water Supply For Their Town
Image credits: MonoMoniker
#2 The Driver Of This Aston Martin Db5 Was Shaken But Not Stirred
Image credits: EndersGame_Reviewer
#3 275 Gallons Of Road Marking Paint
Image credits: SkoolieCats
Just to get the big picture stuff out of the way, the biggest “that looked expansive” man-made disaster in human history was the Chornobyl disaster in 1986. While it can be hard to work out exact figures, as there are a number of disagreements on how to measure externalities and Soviet bookkeeping was often fanciful, some estimates suggest damages around $700 billion.
It’s also a disaster of such magnitude that there are consistent, ongoing costs to keeping the damage in check, from maintaining the exclusion zone to maintenance on the protective constructions near the reactor itself. Fortunately, this sort of disaster is unlikely to repeat itself in this day and age.
#4 Baseball-Sized Hail Smashing Into Panels At 150 Mph Destroys Solar Farm
Image credits: thatgerhard
#5 Road Workers In Łódź Decided To Teach Someone A Lesson
Image credits: slim_shdy
#6 Porsche Driver Attempted To Pass Tram, Gets Stuck Between Two Trains
Image credits: PapaAlpaka
The next on the list, dwarfed by a number of earthquakes and hurricanes, is the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It is still considered to be the largest marine oil spill in the history of the industry, dumping 780,000 cubic meters of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Like most ecological disasters, it can be hard to measure the damage in the short term, but some estimates put it at $60 to $100 billion dollars.
#7 Oops
Image credits: RetiredAerospaceVP
#8 Kaiser Hospital Mri Accident
Image credits: usaroamer
#9 To Carry 1 Metric Ton Of Water In A Pickup
Image credits: spamblows
#10 Sir...you Cannot Park Here!!
Image credits: Dr_haribaskar
#11 The Lahaina Fire Destroyed 3 Of My Family’s Homes And 3 Vehicles
I’m born and raised in Lahaina. My dad was at work with his vehicle. My stepmom flew out that morning leaving hers. I was out on a hike and rode with friends. In 2 hours my hometown was reduced to ashes. These photos were taken the morning after the fire, hiking 3 miles into town.
Image credits: Over-Analyzed
#12 I Hope He Wasn't Driving Barefoot Because That's A Lot Of Legos To Step On
Image credits: TheDroningReverend
#13 But It’s All Wheel Drive?!
Image credits: dcalladonato
#14 A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 After Flying Through A Hailstorm Over Milan, Italy
Image credits: Bystander5432
#15 Bear Attack In Nc State Park
Image credits: WillTryToBehave
#16 I'm Phoning About Those Kitchen Shelves You Installed
Image credits: EndersGame_Reviewer
#17 Hope A Lesson Was Learned Here
Image credits: Tullubenta
#18 Trailer Full Of Old Porsches Got Stuck On A Crossing
Image credits: mrsumoskar
#19 Professional Dropsies
Image credits: 4reddityo
#20 "Pothole" On A State Highway Ramp In Seattle
Image credits: mossystreet
#21 This Definitely Won't Buff Out
Image credits: wrapped-in-reverse
#22 So High Up Everything Is A Blind Spot
Image credits: iaafunicorn
#23 $28 Million Sikorsky MH-60S
Image credits: Andi_CA
#24 Truck Knocks House Off Foundation
Image credits: 187penguin
#25 Billionaire Walmart Heiress Nancy Walton's Yacht
Image credits: Neon-Predator
#26 Someone Used This At Our Cafe And We Didn’t Notice Until The ATM Rejected It
Image credits: 4reddityo
#27 My Cat Chewed The Corner Of My Mbp Screen
Image credits: aijel
#28 1m $ Frangivento Asfané Hypercar Completely Destroyed (No Injuries)
Image credits: _cora23_
#29 Almost Made It
Image credits: StevieTank
#30 The Owner Of This Porsche Has A Dog That Is Anxious Or That Doesn't Approve Of His Color Choice
Image credits: EndersGame_Reviewer
#31 Corvette On Fire. Plano Texas 5/24/2023
Image credits: tomertz
#32 Driver Crashes Mercedes Just Six Seconds Into Test Drive
Image credits: blkaino
#33 Damn
Image credits: EgomanicAficionado
#34 Homeowner Took It Upon Himself To Fire Up The Well On A New Build And Fill The House Lines Full Of Sediment And Mud
Image credits: RetiredAerospaceVP
#35 Your House Has Fallen Over
Image credits: CntrllrDscnnctd
