19 People Who Destroyed Their Entire Lives With One Simple Mistake

We are only human, and we all make mistakes, but sometimes mistakes have disastrous and life-changing consequences. Recently, someone asked the question, “Who destroyed their entire life by making one mistake?” Here are the top 19 replies.

Boban Jankovic (Basketball Player)

Photo Credit: FOTOKITA/Shutterstock.

“After his fifth foul of the game, he had fouled out. In reaction to what he believed was a bad call at a crucial moment, he slammed his head hard against the padded concrete goalpost. He damaged his spine and was unable to walk for the rest of his life.”

“And the weight he gained from being wheelchair-bound stressed his heart so much that he died of heart failure at 42.”

Sam Ballard (Young Man From Sydney)

Photo Credit: MakroBetz/Shutterstock.

“I just read his story; in 2010, he ate a slug as a dare and was infected by a parasite carried by the slug, which put him in a coma and paralyzed him. He died eight years later at Hornsby hospital, surrounded by 20 of his friends and family.”

“I have a friend that did the same thing and also caught RLW from it; he’s not dead, though. He got lucky.”

Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann (Heart Surgeon)

Photo Credit: paulista/Shutterstock.

“Respected cardiothoracic surgeon tells a guy to stop smoking right outside the hospital doors. The guy turns around and punches him a single time in the head. It was a so-called ‘king hit.’ He falls to the floor and hits his head again. On life support for four weeks. Nothing left to save.”

“It’s pretty scary out there. Patients feel entitled to treat you like absolute garbage.”

Andres Escobar (Soccer Player)

Photo Credit: alphaspirit.it/Shutterstock.

“He was a respected football player but made the mistake of scoring an own goal in an important World Cup game in 1994. He went back to his home country and got murdered for it as revenge for costing gangsters a lot of money on football bets.”

“That hits me the most. He would have had an amazing football career, but with one mistake, he was killed just like that.”

Ion Onut (Truck Driver)

Photo Credit: Milos Muller/Shutterstock.

“He caused the A1 horror crash involving several cars and two trucks. Three people died when he plowed into stationary traffic at 50mph. The crash and resulting fire were so horrific two people were only identified by their dead dog (it was microchipped). The truck driver was browsing dating sites on his phone. He is now in prison.”

Dennis Rader (Serial Killer)

Photo Credit: breakermaximus/Shutterstock.

“He called himself the BTK serial killer. He avoided arrest for 30 years, then, craving attention, began writing to the police, mocking them for never catching 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.”

“No, we can’t trace your floppy disk, but our friends over in forensics can.”

William Crammond (Dive Tender, Byford Dolphin Oil Rig)

William Crammond (Dive Tender, Byford Dolphin Oil Rig)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“He’s the guy that accidentally opened the clamp on the diving bell that was in the process of decompression on the Byford Dolphin oil rig in 1983.”

“The sudden change in pressure caused an explosion that killed five people. They found human remains as high as 10m above the oil platform.”

Richard Jewel (Security Guard, Atlanta Olympics)

Richard Jewel (Security Guard, Atlanta Olympics)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“He’s the man who found the pipe bomb. The media and law enforcement absolutely ruined that guy’s life, accusing him of being the bomber. He was just doing his job (and did it well), and as a reward, he got publicly smeared for YEARS.”

“He didn’t actually make a mistake, though, which makes his situation even worse. As you said, he did his job and saved lives. It was other people who were wrong.”

Michael Richards (Comedian)

Michael Richards (Comedian)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“He went ballistic on a comedy show; some black guests came late and annoyed him by heckling, so he went on a long tirade of racial slurs while going crazy.”

“He didn’t have the strength or resilience to weather the backlash, so it kind of destroyed him emotionally. That’s why it seemed like he never tried to get back on it.”

“His IMDB page looks like he died in 2006.”

Amy Cooper (The Central Park Karen)

Amy Cooper (The Central Park Karen)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“She said, I’m calling the cops; I’ll tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life!” Had this just been some dumb fight over a dog, people would have forgotten about it in a week, but she really dug herself a public grave with that gem.”

“For the past three years, she’s essentially been living in hiding. She moves whenever someone realizes who she is and lives in constant fear that she’ll be rediscovered.”

Gabriel Rivera (NFL Player)

Gabriel Rivera (NFL Player)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“He was drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers. He was going to be the new anchor on their defense. Halfway through his rookie season, he crashed his new car while going double the speed limit while drunk and was ejected from the car. He lived but was paralyzed for the rest of his life.”

Louis Slotin (Physicist)

Louis Slotin (Physicist)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“That dude who was messing around with the ‘demon core’ with a screwdriver. Just one little slip-up, a flash of blue light, and just like that, his body was goop within nine days from the radiation poisoning.”

“You’d think after Harry Daghlian’s death eight months earlier, with the same plutonium core, he would have been so careful not to repeat the accident.”

Roseanne Barr (Comedian)

Roseanne Barr (Comedian)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“Roseanne tweeted a racist statement about an Obama staff member. That one tweet cost her her show; they fired her, killed off her character, and renamed the show.”

“That was always going to happen. As soon as the reboot was announced, there were articles wondering how ABC would handle her wildly unpredictable social media presence.”

Howard Dean (Politician)

Howard Dean (Politician)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“His political career tanked with one silly yell that got blown up by the internet.”

“It was a simpler time. Now politicians can openly call for genocide and not take a hit at the polls.”

“I looked up the yell. I was expecting some guttural roar with racial slurs thrown in, considering how it damaged him. It’s just an over-excited guy having his voice crack.”

Pelle Lindbergh (Ice Hockey Goal Tender)

Pelle Lindbergh (Ice Hockey Goal Tender)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“He was the Swedish goalie for the Ice Hockey team, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the 1980s. The dude is still regarded as one of the best goalies to ever play for the Flyers. But he drove drunk and crashed his car going over 100mph. He died in the crash.”

Alexei Petrovich (Tsarevich of Russia)

Alexei Petrovich (Tsarevich of Russia)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“In 1716, he fled Russia to escape his father. When emissaries came to bring him back, he returned on the condition he wouldn’t be harmed. This was a mistake. It resulted in him being implicated in a treason plot and ultimately cost him his life.”

“His other mistake was falling in love with his Finnish slave. She ultimately betrayed him to his father by implicating him in a treason plot.”

Henry Ruggs II (NFL Player)

Henry Ruggs II (NFL Player)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“The dude was an all-star in the NFL. He had fame AND money. He drinks & drives, crashing into an innocent woman with her dog. The car bursts into flames, burning both of them to death. A person died. A dog died. Because he drank and drove.”

“Incredibly poor judgment caused a person to lose her life and him to go from literally living the high life to being behind bars.”

Monica Lewinsky (White House Staff Member)

Monica Lewinsky (White House Staff Member)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“It’s sad she was blamed for everything.”

“I have never seen a man get such treatment by the media. Such a glaring double standard.”

Ashlee Simpson (Pop Singer)

Ashlee Simpson (Pop Singer)
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

“That disastrous lip-syncing debacle on SNL. Poor girl’s career never recovered.”

“She wasn’t even lip-synching; she was singing along to a backing vocal track, which pretty much all pop singers do when performing live.”

“Oh man, she played the halftime show at the Orange Bowl that year, and the stadium booed her off quite loudly. Poor girl.”

MORE FROM LOVED BY CURLS

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Trends come and go, but some things really hold onto the past. Among them are a handful of products that include everything from outdated technology to nostalgic bric-a-brac, so read on to double-check your home for these 21 things that absolutely scream ‘Boomer.’

STUCK IN THE PAST? 21 HOME DECOR ITEMS THAT INSTANTLY EXPOSES YOU AS A BOOMER

SAY GOODBYE: 17 JOBS THAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE GONE BY 2043

Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.

As technology advances and automation becomes more prevalent, many jobs that were once considered essential will become obsolete in the next 20 years. The following 17 jobs are projected to disappear by 2043:

SAY GOODBYE: 17 JOBS THAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE GONE BY 2043

HUSH-HUSH: 16 SECRETS MEN HAVE BUT WON’T SHARE WITH WOMEN

Photo Credit: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock.

Have you ever wondered what men really think or do? Then look no further. A recent internet survey asked, “What are some ‘guy secrets’ girls don’t know about?”:

HUSH-HUSH: 16 SECRETS MEN HAVE BUT WON’T SHARE WITH WOMEN

19 FALSE MYTHS THAT ARE SO OBVIOUS YOU’LL KICK YOURSELF FOR BELIEVING THEM

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Sometimes it’s hard to sift fact from fiction, especially when certain long-ingrained myths are still perpetuated by society and in the media. A recent internet survey asked, “What’s an annoying myth that people still cling to?”:

19 FALSE MYTHS THAT ARE SO OBVIOUS YOU’LL KICK YOURSELF FOR BELIEVING THEM

20 AMERICAN FOODS THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN’T STOMACH

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

They say you are what you eat, but for these treats, you might want to wish otherwise. Here are 20 foods that Americans may love but the rest of the world just absolutely can’t stand:

20 AMERICAN FOODS THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN’T STOMACH 

Source: Reddit