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“Stood In The Wrong Place”: 30 Ways People Wrecked Their Lives With Just One Awful Choice
It only takes one foolish act to tarnish a good reputation built over decades of hard work. In the same way, it only takes one horrible, ill-advised decision to ruin one’s life forever.
Today, we’re covering the latter. We’ve picked out a handful of stories about people making a single wrong move that altered the course of their existence in the worst ways imaginable. Some, unfortunately, took a fatal turn. Ultimately, all of these could have been avoided.
These accounts are from different corners of the internet. Scroll through, but a few are distressing reads, so proceed cautiously. If you have similar stories, feel free to share them in the comments below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Tl;dr: fake pregnancy scam involving basically everyone she knew.
My brother broke up with his girlfriend when they were both 21. On the surface it looked like an amicable breakup- he even volunteered to move back in with our parents temporarily so she could keep the flat they were renting. About a month later, she sent him two pics, of an ultrasound and a positive pregnancy test, and told him she didn't want him to have anything to do with their baby but if he'd give her a few thousand now to help her through the pregnancy and to get ready for the baby's arrival, she'd release him from any future obligation to pay child support. She really laid it on thick that it was going to be a very hard pregnancy since he'd left her and she now had to pay for the flat alone, and even hinted he'd known she was pregnant when he broke up with her.
When he ignored the message, she then sent it on to *everyone* - her family, our family including parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, his employer, his colleagues, some old college teachers they were still in contact with, and their friends (they met in school so almost all of their friends were mutual). She even posted it on her Facebook for good measure.
He *then* replied - to her, and to everyone he knew of that she'd sent the message to, and also on her Facebook page - with two screenshots, showing that the pictures she'd sent him were literally the first that came up with you googled "ultrasound" and "positive pregnancy test". She didn't lose her job over that, but did a few months later, and most of their friends cut ties with her.
She set out to extort a few thousand off him and instead outed herself as crazy to basically everyone she knew.
Snazzy Smurf 1 week ago
She got what she deserved. She set out to extort and ruin him, but Lady K(arma) had the last laugh.
RELATED:
#2
A 19yo guy in Sydney ate a slug for a dare. Got Rat Lungworm disease. Went into a coma for 18 months, woke up a vegetable confined to wheelchair needing 24 hour care. Died about 10 years later. From eating a single slug.....
#3
Guy I want to high school with was diagnosed with testicular cancer when we were about 25. For months, maybe years, I would see update posts about the progress he was making with treatment. Then one day he posted on Facebook that he was cancer free. The next day he was dead. He'd gone out that night and got absolutely wasted, fell down a flight of concrete steps outside his flat in the early hours of the morning and by the time he was found in the morning he was gone.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
That must have been an unbearable tragedy for his family :( I don’t judge his joy at beating cancer and his urge to celebrate in such a way, I only wish he’d had others with him who could have prevented the final tragedy.
#4
In college, my ex’s friend was pulled over for speeding. He had d***s and alcohol in his system and when the cop reached in his truck to grab the keys, he panicked and took off, thinking the cop would let go. The cop did not let go, and was dragged for quite a ways before eventually falling to the ground and hitting his head, resulting in his death. My ex’s friend was charged with capital murder and sentenced to 20 years in a Mississippi state prison. 21 years old and ruined his entire life in 1 night.
#5
A friend of my parents was a good family man who loved his family. One day he was playing with his toddler and was playfully tossing her on the bed. She would get back up giggling and he would toss her again. In one of the tosses he threw her a bit too far and she hit a bed post. She lived but became bed bound unable to even talk. Not quite vegtable but close. He went to jail on child abuse. Lost his wife, his job and his little girl would bever be the same. The guilt was so much he ended it as soon as he could.
Earthquake903 1 week ago (edited)
Due to a series of bad decisions by my 8 year old self and my poor mother, my baby brother died in a house fire. My mother and I were indirectly responsible for it. It was horrible and my mother never recovered. Neither have I really. Edit: thanks everyone for your kind words. This event happened in May of 1980. It has hung over me heavily ever since. My mother has since passed but she was a wreck for the 29 years following my brother's death, understandably. She got help but it only helped to a point. I didn't get help until my early 40's but I'm ok, therapy helped me a lot. I still think about him, Jasen, and I know it wasn't my fault or my mom's. It was just a series of events due to ignorance and inattention, my mom was doing a whole bunch of things at once and had 3 young kids to watch over and it only took a moment for tragedy to strike. I wish it on no one.
#6
I did. Some drugs are fun with little to no consequence, while other, harder drugs completely take over and then theres drugs that fall everywhere in between.... I was a straight A student, Junior in Highschool, was going to prom with my first serious girlfriend in just a few weeks. Everything was going great, except.... I couldnt get any pot at all in the neighborhood I just moved to. After a few days without my normal tree smoke, I finally took the recomendation from a "friend" I just made in the new neighborhood, and purchased what narcotic they were selling. Just to try... figure it might hold me over till i get some green. My FIRST thought right after taking that first hit from the pipe was "How much $ could I sell ALL of my stuff for?" I kid you not, one hit, I WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED It took a little more than 12 yrs to kick my accidental crack habit. No job, No HS Diploma, no family, no friends, no possessions at all and 12 yrs just gone. And looking back... I really had no choice but to be a crackhead. There was no way I could stop, impossible.... No one wants to be a crackhead... it is the devils drug and I feel so bad for anyone who has ever crossed its path, because I promise... they can not make the choice to stop, no matter how bad they want to.
Always Malfunctioning 1 week ago
As a recovering addict of 8 and 1/2 years, I honor you for kicking this habit 💕 One day at a time my friend. This is YOUR journey!
#7
Pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs in front of almost everyone he knew seconds after she announced to everyone that she was pregnant with his kid.
I ain't sure if she miscarried or if she just decided not to have that psychos kid, but he spent a few years in prison over it and he ain't welcome anywhere no more.
She walks with a cane at 30.
#8
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.
Snazzy Smurf 1 week ago
Distracted driving is more common than we care to admit. With various technology at our disposal in our vehicles, paying attention to the road becomes secondary.
#9
Some kid in our senior year of high school pulled the fire alarm every day. He was getting away with it for a while. The school had town officials and the chief of the fire department and police come in and talk about the dangers. The town would send trucks and be without them if there was another emergency. None of that worked. When they offered a reward the kid’s friend’s ratted him out. His family had to pay for all those calls, he was expelled from school and didn’t graduate.
Enuya 1 week ago (edited)
Good reaction from the authorities. My mum works in a high school and *every year* someone calls for firefighters during The Most Important Exam In The Country. Sometimes it's a fire, sometimes it's a bomb. The idiot(s?) does it so badly that as for now Important Exam was never disrupted but it's annoying af for everyone involved. And yet the authorities never did anything more serious than checking if the call is true
#10
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
#11
Some teenagers got drunk and ran over a gas station employee when he tried to stop them from stealing gas. They dragged him a few km's. The blood stained the roads for weeks. They were all tried as adults and got the maximum sentence of 25 years. I think they were charged for second degree homicide.
#12
One of my childhood bullies joined the military immediately after graduation. Soon after that, he got drunk and dove into shallow waters. He broke his back and is now permanently paralyzed, as well as completely unable to do his dream job. He was always a miserable piece of s**t who always picked on people he deemed less than him, including disabled people. Karma is a raging b***h.
#13
Guy on our school band was crazy gifted. Like, full ride music scholarship, guys in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra basically recruiting him/hiring him/whatever they do out of highschool.
Got drunk, got stupid, punched a brick wall, and broke most of the bones in his hand. He managed to keep the scholarship because he could also sing, but AFAIK never played an instrument on that level again.
DinsdalePiranha 1 week ago
Read about Ben Folds. He broke his hand in a fight standing up to someone bullying his roommate, and had to play a juried drum recital the next day. He lost his scholarship and threw his drum kit in a lake.
#14
Friend of mine from a wealthy Middle Eastern country/family didn’t quite ruin his life but f****d it up for a while. Was in Canada on a student visa but was working after graduating and had applied for permanent residency. Got rejected, so he took out every credit card he could find and ran them all up because he was leaving the country forever that week. Tells his parents he is coming home and why - mom makes a few phone calls and turns out the kid had screwed up some paperwork, and it was no problem to get it fixed up and approved. That was 15 years ago and he still lives here, but his credit card debt was more than his annual salary and his parents (correctly) told him he was an idiot and to pay it himself. He also lost out on a job opportunity the next year because his credit was such a disaster.
Earonn - 1 week ago
So he tried to commit fraud, thought he'd get away with it because rich parents, but parents were better than him and he has to face the consequences. Good. He didn't 'ruin his life'. He lives exactly the life he deserves.
Petra 6 days ago
I mean, his life is still ruined. Just because he deserves it doesn't change that fact.
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René Sauer 1 week ago
Honestly, the last line is ridiculous. Bad credit should not be factor in deciding to hire someone or not. With a few exceptions, like bank workers maybe.
J K 1 week ago (edited)
Still have mixed feelings about credit history being part of gaining employment. Sometimes it is necessary while other times it can block people who were struggling for reasons beyond their control.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
Why are foreign students allowed to take out credit cards in that country? This must be why Canada is not allowing international students to become permanent residents by default after they graduate. Glad his parents didn't bail him out and he was made to learn his lesson.
Hugh Crawford 1 week ago
He was denied a job due to credit? Couldn't be a good one if they check credit scores.
Bored Trash Panda 6 days ago
There are a lot of jobs that look at your credit score that are good jobs. Especially in the accounting trad. I wouldn't want to have an accountant that had worse credit than me. Even some jobs at airports look at your credit report.
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Earonn - 1 week ago
They can, but it's such a hassle, and some countries make it extra hard, so the bank rather writes off the loss and instead puts it on the fees for all other customers.
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OnlyMe 5 days ago
This reminds me of some Muslim Malaysian students on scholarship to the university I worked at. The girl had a boyfriend, but another boy liked her, and was very jealous. He caught them kissing, took a photo and sent it to their sponsor. Wrecked both young people's lives. They were recalled home, scholarship revoked and families had to repay the money.
geezeronthehill 1 week ago
I have no credit rating because I have never used credit cards. I'm retired from a career in factory work and was never asked about my credit score.
Riley Quinn 1 week ago
Stupidity, greed, and revenge are traits that will get you. Oh, what am I saying, Trump's going back to the White House because he's being rewarded for his stupidity, greed, and desire for revenge.
Petra 6 days ago
If your job places you in a position of trust where bribing could be bad for the employer (company or government), then how easily you are bribed becomes and important factor. But I agree that for the vast majority of jobs it shouldn't matter.
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Kalikima 1 week ago
This happened in Canada. But yes, some jobs do. Not all of them, but some do.
Load More Replies... #15
Old coworker went to Vegas, felt really good about his odds due to the liquor and ended up betting his entire life savings on roulette and lost. He ended up losing his house, his wife, kids, and from what I've seen he lives in a tiny apartment and works a min wage job.
sturmwesen 1 week ago (edited)
I once went to a casino because my BF wanted to (he bet a fixed amount, and won and quit). I told him I would bet 20 at the slots and that I know I have issues quitting. Then I bet 25 and he told me I went over my limit. I stopped but I got that addicted feeling and I hated it. I KNOW I am prone to addiction even if the only one I have is smoking. Be careful if you can't set and keep your boundaries.
#16
I ran into a former middle school football teamate at Wal-Mart a couple years ago and he gave me an update on his life.
In 7th grade he was considered an up and coming prospect locally. He was defensive end, big guy, nice guy overall, didn't do drugs, stayed out of trouble, decent grades.
In the 90s, for some strange reason "pantsing" was a big thing. I don't know why, but it was hilarious to run behind someone and pull their pants down. It happened a lot in hazing, I myself was pantsed a couple times. It was stupid. But it was really a trending thing.
Anyways one day while we were running our football cross country run on a long path that circled the school out to the wooded area, we ran by a couple girls from the track team sharing the path.
A different player dares the lineman to pants one of the girls. The moron does. He reacted so quickly I couldn't even tell him not to. It was seconds. Well this girl was the daughter of a lawyer. As he ran away laughing she was screaming at the top of her lungs that she was touched. I remember the police showing up and handcuffing him and I thought to myself, wow why are the police here. It didn't occur to me at that age what was happening at all I thought it was a prank that she just didn't like. He was arrested for sexual assault, convicted, and spent the rest of his teenage years in juvy.
When I bumped into him at Wal Mart he was picking up shopping carts. I had forgot all about him and that whole situation. He started to tell me that after juvy he was marked for life, a registered sex offender, he couldn't get into college, he couldn't find work. He lived in public housing and Wal Mart was his first job but he had to lie on his application. He begged me not to mention his past to anyone there because he was about to commit suicide before he landed this job.
He said that every day he goes to sleep and remembers that prank and every night he considers putting a gun to his head for it. That shit hit me so deep. Thousands of pants were pulled down that school year and this dude picked the absolute worst person to target for a cheap laugh.
After he was arrested I remember all the pantsing stopped instantly. And the kids moved on to hitting people in the chest and yelling "open chest'.
#17
Me! I didn't believe my mom she said she'd kick me out at 18, so I never bothered to get a part time job to save money. My 18th birthday came around, and I said "nope" to her when she asked if I'd gotten a job or had living arrangements figured out. The next day, I came home from a friend's place to a laundry basket of clothing at the door. She drove me to a homeless shelter and never let me come back home.
#18
I had a classmate who tried to OD to end his life. He survived. He was in a coma for like a year, then when he woke up he couldn't talk or even remember who he was. He's getting better slowly but he's now mentally disabled. Just so brutal. He's only 22. I know the brain is an amazing thing, so hopefully he'll get to some sort of normal eventually, but he's never going to be the same.
Snazzy Smurf 1 week ago
This is heartbreaking. Sadly, his life ended in a sense, but not the way he intended.
#19
My brother got into the car with his friend, whom he knew had drank too much. He quite literally ruined/ended his life. I'm not looking for attention or condolences, but just remember that it's not just being the drunk driver that you have to think about.
BannedFromABoatShow 1 week ago
The drunk driver always survives. It’s the people they hit who die, get maimed, or end up with a steel spine and femur like my cousin and the drunk got probation for it.
#20
He didn't properly secure a ladder on a building site. He then fell off said ladder and fractured three vertebrae. Lucky enough not to be paralysed, but he spent nearly 2 months in hospital and then three months in a body cast from his armpits to his arsehole. His missus took this opportunity to leave him for a yuppie scumbag, taking his kids with her. He's been battling with depression and chronic pain for over a decade since then.
#21
My dad once saw a patient who was a seemingly normal, well-adjusted family man in his early 40s with no major health issues and in good physical shape. He was in town for a business trip and had suddenly gone blind. Come to find out, while out with his colleagues, he had tried coke for the first time in his life. It was cut with a something that created a blockage in his optic nerve and now he’s blind forever. This caused him to lose his job. He had a wife and kids and was the sole bread winner.
LaserBrain 1 week ago (edited)
These d***s should be legal, regulated and quality controlled just like aspirin, and available at the corner drugstore. People have an innate desire to get high in some way or at least try it out. His blindness is the fault of the self-righteous people who made up the whole idea of Prohibition and enforced it, and they should be in jail.
#22
"Jim", a kid I went to high school with, gave a bunch of other kids a ride home in his pickup truck. The other kids rode in the bed as he drove each of them home.
You can already see where this is going, I think.
Anyway, Jim tried to make a light but he came up way short. Traffic on the opposite side already had a green light. Jim's truck hit a car in the middle of the intersection sending the kids riding in the back flying through the air.
Two of the kids died from their injuries while one of the other ones got helicoptered to the ICU.
Making matters worse, the car he hit was driven by "Erin", a girl we went to high school with. All she did was proceed through the intersection when the light turned green. Like, literally nobody blamed her at all. But she was only 16 and had just started driving. But she never signed up to be involved in a crash where people *f*****g died*. The incident sent her over the edge. She had a nervous breakdown and I never saw her again.
Life wasn't easy for Jim after that. The other students in school were merciless to him. He obviously felt horrible about what happened. But self-flagellation was apparently not enough for the other students. Eventually, Jim had to leave the school because his safety was legit in danger.
Jim's situation might've been exacerbated by some VERY forgiving parents [of the deceased teens]. One of them said words to the effect of "He's already suffering and he'll suffer even more in the future. I can't bring myself to add to his pain." I don't think the other kids took kindly to the parents just letting it go. But I can't prove that.
I have no idea what Erin or Jim are up to these days. But I hope they're both better.
tl;dr- There's no such thing as driving "too safe". The life you save could be a teenager who can't cope with the trauma.
EDIT- For clarity.
Bec 1 week ago
A highschool classmate of mine died messing around while riding in the back of a friend's truck. They were afraid to take him to the hospital because they had been drinking. He was the first from my class to pass away. So all the posts with 'we rode in the back of trucks when we were kids and were fine! ' always bother me.
#23
Kid down the street had his best friend over, and his friend, being a 12-13 year old boy was being a total d**k head. Kid picks up a shot gun his brother left lying around in the dining room and aimed at friend. Friend taunted him. Kid pulled the trigger and filled his friend's head full of buck shot.
Two families instantly devastated. Kid went to jail. I occasionally see the friend when I go out for a walk. He's a grown up now, but is intellectually maybe 4-5 years old, and will be taken care of by family for the rest of his life.
[Found an article on it.](https://www.kgw.com/article/news/police-id-oregon-city-boy-shot-in-head/283-73534858)
Yes the friend lived -- though with a lot of brain damage.
#24
Guy I knew in uni was inebriated and decided to try and clear a very tall spiked wrought iron fence. He impaled his balls and did not get to keep them.
#25
I have an acquaintance that was always overconfident, approaching arrogance.
I could tolerate him as he was charismatic and not far into arrogant territory.
One day he thought he could keep something he found at work. Cameras everywhere. The owner knew where it was and was able to track the item to him.
Fired when the investigation showed him carrying it out. 30+ years with the company.
Sadly it wasn't the first time his ego got him in trouble.
#26
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 wasnt 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.
#27
The daughter of a friend of my mom. This was quite a few years ago, but "coma drinking" was for whatever insane reason really popular with the youth here. And yes, it is exactly what the name implies, you drink until you black out. She actually did go into a coma and from what I understand, suffered minor brain damage.
David 1 week ago
I don't know why anyone would TRY to get blackout drunk. Someone I once cared about used to black out when drinking. Not every time but too often. Some highlights... getting 86'd from a bar for a public three way, waking up naked next to a dumpster, getting raped on someone's boat (she likely pursued it at the time), a mutual friend finding her toddler wandering around the street alone because she was passed out. Having to physically restrain her from going naked to the hotel roof where she planned to jump off. Those are all separate instances and there are more. My point is it brought pain and regret and isn't anything to seek out. Ugly business.
#28
Guys got drunk in HS, drove off the highway, didn’t make the turn at 90 mph, five dead.
#29
Had a friend from high school who decided to “opt out” by jumping off the roof at his mom’s house.. he landed in such a way that he survived, but is now paralyzed from the chest down - as in: can’t even breathe for himself and fully reliant on home health aids and his mom, whom he despised and named as the reason he wanted out of life (it’s fair that she was a full blown heroine addict at this point and was a s**t show herself)..
ZuriLovesYou 1 week ago
I don't think it's a good idea to leave him in the care of the shìt show.
#30
She decided she didn't want to be a wife and mom anymore after having 4 kids (all under age of 14). Left her family and moved in with a guy on parole for assaulting a young teen. Kids want nothing to do with her. Rest of family and community have had it.
What do you think ?
RAM31280 1 week ago
What a bunch of amateurs, making 1 bad decision. I've been making bad decisions my entire 44 year life.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
Perhaps, lol, but there is the *degree* of the bad decision that comes into play. Still, by your standards I must have more skill points than you. I'm 51 and not pushing daisies yet, so I have more experience!
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Tobias Reaper 1 week ago
teacher at my school was diagnosed with lung cancer wanted to make sure his family was provided for. Because he was a genius he started making meth and it 99% pure long story short he became a big d**g lord unalived a lot of people and ended up unalived himself. This really happened and is totally not ripped off from a popular TV show
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 1 week ago
It would seem that many Pandas are having a sense of humour failure today. Please take my upvote.
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Pablo Ramos 1 week ago
I only read a few. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. I prefer to read success and happy stories
TruthoftheHeart 1 week ago
It really seems like we need to monitor alcohol like they do medical marijuana that or make it completely illegal. Even if that's not a popular idea it seems to be our number one cause of abuse, deaths, car accidents, etc
Craig Reynolds 1 week ago
Sometimes all it takes is one bad decision to ruin a life, be it your own or someone else's. D***s and alcohol seem to play a prominent role in bad decisions, especially alcohol, as it has the double jeopardy of removing inhibitions (liquid courage) and impairing judgement (nothing will happen).
MindNumbinglyBoringJob 5 days ago
This entire thread should be called fake sh*t kids make up .
RAM31280 1 week ago
What a bunch of amateurs, making 1 bad decision. I've been making bad decisions my entire 44 year life.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
Perhaps, lol, but there is the *degree* of the bad decision that comes into play. Still, by your standards I must have more skill points than you. I'm 51 and not pushing daisies yet, so I have more experience!
Load More Replies... Tobias Reaper 1 week ago
teacher at my school was diagnosed with lung cancer wanted to make sure his family was provided for. Because he was a genius he started making meth and it 99% pure long story short he became a big d**g lord unalived a lot of people and ended up unalived himself. This really happened and is totally not ripped off from a popular TV show
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 1 week ago
It would seem that many Pandas are having a sense of humour failure today. Please take my upvote.
Load More Replies... Pablo Ramos 1 week ago
I only read a few. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. I prefer to read success and happy stories
TruthoftheHeart 1 week ago
It really seems like we need to monitor alcohol like they do medical marijuana that or make it completely illegal. Even if that's not a popular idea it seems to be our number one cause of abuse, deaths, car accidents, etc
Craig Reynolds 1 week ago
Sometimes all it takes is one bad decision to ruin a life, be it your own or someone else's. D***s and alcohol seem to play a prominent role in bad decisions, especially alcohol, as it has the double jeopardy of removing inhibitions (liquid courage) and impairing judgement (nothing will happen).
MindNumbinglyBoringJob 5 days ago
This entire thread should be called fake sh*t kids make up .
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