Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
INSANE: Photos where someone got unlucky - The Real Truth
In life, there are things we can control and things we can’t. But the humbling part is, it only takes one moment of the second to completely cancel out all the effort of the first. That’s just the unfair, unavoidable nature of bad luck.
Sadly, these poor souls had to learn that lesson the hard way. What they went through is so absurdly unfortunate that it’s hard not to feel for them—even if you can’t help but laugh a little too. Scroll down and give them some sympathy, because they’ve well and truly earned it.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Karma, The Non-Reddit Kind
Dude tries to get around a line of stopped cars and drivers right into fresh cement.
RELATED:
#2
My Submission For Dumbest Way To Injure Yourself
I burnt my hand taking tomato soup out of the microwave. The toast I was making popped up and it scared me.
#3
Have Cats They Said, It’ll Be Fun They Said (No Cats Were Harmed And No Plants Were Seriously Injured)
Truly, it seems luck wasn’t on these people’s side. Whatever you want to call it—getting the short end of the stick, waking up on the wrong side of the bed, having a dark cloud hanging over your head—these folks managed to experience it all in one go. After everything they went through, the universe really does owe them a good day.
#5
Came Home Late From Work, Drop My Open Sandwhich In The Parking Lot
Go to make pasta, the first pot slips and I pour it all on the ground. Make a second pot and the handle straight up breaks and my pasta goes everywhere. Didn't eat; had a lil cry.
Luck, in general, is a fascinating concept. It seems to be something that every culture, across every corner of the world, has some kind of relationship with. We have lucky charms, lucky numbers, lucky days. Some people even believe that luck is simply a trait, something certain people are just born with more of.
#7
I've Heard Of "Painting Yourself Into A Corner" But My Wife Took It A Step Further. I Don't Even Know
#8
Came Home To A Car In My Pool
Ok a little more context: I am not the owner so I really don’t know the cost, but I will try to find that out.
Driver was a man in maybe his 30s-ish?
There are apartments across the alley. We think he was parked in front of the apartments, and then tried to peel out, but backed up way too hard and way too fast.
The pool is being drained. It’s full of glass and car chemicals so I assume it will need to be professionally cleaned.
The tow truck driver went on top of the car and had to break the side windows to hook up the cables through the sunroof and side windows. The pool is COLD. I made him some tea.
The driver was able to climb out the sunroof before it fully went under.
I really don’t know any specifics as to why/how this happened. Doesn’t sound like any drugs or alcohol were involved but really, only the cops know.
Car went in around 9:30pm, the whole process of towing it out went until about 3:30am.
#9
Yesterday My Pen Exploded In My Dryer. Today, This When I Get Home After Another 13 Hour Work Day
We also have no shortage of superstitions to keep bad luck at bay. Knocking on wood is one of the most well-known, but some cultures take it even further. In China, for example, the number 4 is considered so unlucky that many buildings skip the fourth floor entirely, labelling it 3A instead.
On the flip side, the number 8 is considered deeply fortunate—so much so that eighth-floor apartments in China have been known to fetch a noticeably higher price on the market.
#10
Got Home From Work Today
Realized I’ve been walking around meeting clients with a giant 6-7 in rip in my pants that no one said anything about. So I figured the internet should also know.
#11
At A Family Birthday Party, I Thought I Would Do The Fatherly Thing And Play A Little Soccer With My Daughter
As I approached her to try to steal the ball, she sent a rocket in my direction. We switched to football for the rest of the afternoon.
As comforting as it is to believe in some cosmic force called luck, scientists tend to see it differently. “Luck is a really interesting aspect of risk and chance,” Cambridge University psychologist Dr Mike Aitken told the BBC.
“We can all remember days when good things happened to us, and days when less-good things happened, and we attribute the difference to a lucky day and an unlucky day. You could argue that luck exists in that sense.”
Where it gets more complicated is when people believe luck can actually influence outcomes. “That’s a much harder belief to justify, because there’s no way the day you buy your lottery ticket can influence the likelihood that you’re going to win,” said Aitken.
#14
Mowing The Lawn For The First Time This Season And The Mower Picked Up A Rock And Shot It Through My Front Door
#15
Found At 7am Monday Morning
While trying to head to work no less. Do I cry or laugh? both? The car is likely totaled, first time for everything!
But what about those people who just seem to have all the luck? We all know at least one—someone for whom everything appears to work out almost effortlessly, no matter the circumstances. How does science even begin to explain that kind of magic?
As it turns out, there may actually be a practical reason behind their good fortune, and it’s one you can apply to your own life too.
Richard Wiseman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, has spent decades studying what separates lucky people from unlucky ones. According to his research, lucky people tend to follow four key principles.
The first is maximising chance opportunities. Lucky people are naturally skilled at creating and noticing opportunities, whether through networking, staying open to new experiences, or simply approaching life with a more relaxed attitude.
As the saying goes, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”—and this principle is pretty much exactly that.
The second is listening to their instincts. Lucky people trust their gut and make decisions based on intuition. Many of them also actively work to sharpen that intuition through practices like meditation.
The third is expecting good fortune. Lucky people genuinely believe that good things are coming their way, and that belief tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It helps them push through setbacks and show up more positively in their relationships.
#24
We Paint Roads, Here’s An Unlucky Individual Who Couldn’t Stay Off Our Fresh Line And Drove Down The Line For About 1/4 Of A Mile
It was so bad that it was still dripping when we caught up with them.
The fourth and last one is turning bad luck around. When things do go wrong, lucky people find ways to reframe the situation. They remind themselves it could have been worse, avoid dwelling on what happened, and work on regaining a sense of control.
It’s easy to see why this works. If you’re constantly zeroing in on everything going wrong, that mindset tends to become a cycle that’s hard to break out of. But if you’re able to approach setbacks more positively, you start noticing the good in situations more naturally, and that shift in perspective can actually change the outcomes you experience.
#25
When You Thought You Hit 1:00 On The Microwave, But It Was 10:00
It was a blueberry muffin with a small pat of butter.
#26
Came Home From Vacation To Find Our Fish Tank Leaked Into My Floor While We Were Gone
nicolishna:
did the fish survive?
Metroid413:
Axolotl! And yes, luckily he’s chill. We lost about 40 of 55 gallons through a slower leak. EDIT: Hijacking this top-comment to add that this picture is AFTER I DRILLED DRAIN HOLES. It was not dripping like this the whole time.
If something unlucky has happened to you recently, it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t your fault. According to science, it was simply a matter of chance, and on that particular day, chance just wasn’t on your side. But if you do want to be luckier in life, apparently genuinely believing that you are a lucky person can go a long way—so maybe give that a try.
#28
Got Stuck In An Elevator In My Apartment Building, Was Told About 40 Minutes Until The Tech Arrives And I Have To Go To The Bathroom
#30
Bottom Of My Mug Fell Off, Full Mug Of Tea Everywhere
I noticed that there was tea pooling around the bottom of my mug, and I picked it up and bam. The bottom of the mug just fell off, and tea went everywhere. I've never seen this happen before.
#33
On The Second Shovel Full My Trusty Shovel Called It Quits Today
We got about a foot and I only got enough to open the front door. Luckily my wife and I can work from home. There’s at least 20 inches plowed in front of our driveway as well. Good times.
#35
My Basement Flooded With Shin Deep Water
I spent about 6 hours throwing everything away. My water heater exploded, and there was a simultaneous failure in the floor drain so none of the water drained. I didn't find the flooding for about 30 minutes and came down to water streaming out of my water heater like a pressure washer. I'm just glad I was home.
#36
Last Food In The Fridge. Made Feta, Tomato And Leek. Bottom Glass Part Just Blew Up From Temperature…
#37
Loaded The Heavy Stuff First, Tipped Over The Trailer
Moving day went wrong in Florida today. Had to climb out onto the roof. Nobody was seriously hurt.
#40
Can You Guess What Scared The Heck Out Of My Wife And I At 2 Am
This mirror was like 10 ft and came with the house when we bought it. I thought someone shattered our window in the bathroom and was breaking in or the shower glass shattered…
2 hours later I’m still cleaning glass off the floor lol.
#43
Attempted To Take $60 Out. Got Stuck And I Couldn’t Get It Out. Then It Came Back In And Still Took $60 Out Of My Account!
#44
A Drunk Driver Drove Right Through My Garage!
Plus he crashed into my neighbor's garage, taking out his fence and finally stopped when he crashed into my backyard fence. He didn't have insurance either.
#48
My Mom Was Just Finishing Cleaning The Kitchen And Then Spilled A Bag Of Chia Seeds On The Ground
#54
I Was Looking Forward To Eating That. The Top Of The Pepper Came Off And Went Everywhere. I Was Sneezing For An Hour Afterwards
#56
Well, That’s What I Get For Trying To Tidy Up My Pantry
Was just trying to clean off some items from my countertop including a COSTCO size bottle of red wine. Accidentally hit it against a bottle of champagne, mind you I don’t even drink it’s just what I keep on hand for entertaining. And yes, the shelves are permanently stained. But at least they’re pink.
#57
Forgetting About Your Pizza For 8 Hours. Burnt So Bad It Looks Like A Double-Chocolate Brownie
#60
Forced To Gate Check Guitar, Got It Back Split In Half
Long story short, I’m never flying with a soft shell guitar case anymore. Definitely at least partially my fault to not have had it better protected, but this hadn’t been an issue for the past 3 years until my latest delta flight…
Was told to gate check my $1000+ guitar in its soft shell case (i know, stupid, but much easier to carry it as a backpack than haul around a hard shell case when you have suitcases) by flight crew on my 6 hour flight across the US.
Even with strings almost fully loosened, and two thick sweatshirts wrapped around it, I guess the handling was too much for her.
#62
First Time Smoking
Just got a smoker, left it in a little too long. I also didn’t have the meat thermometer to that tells you what the temp is for the meat.
#64
Opened A Bottle Of Homemade Cherry Schnapps Inside. It Fermented. This Is My Mom's Ceiling Now
#65
International Flight, Middle Seat, Only Person On The Entire Full Flight With A Broken TV
I was extremely excited for the new United IFE screen, I've been wanting to try it forever. I even looked up movies and shows weeks before hand so I knew what I wanted to watch.
#68
I Completely Forgot About This Bottle Of Water Standing On Balcony For Two Months (It Was -20c Outside )
#70
I Didn't Even Know This Could Happen
Today I learnt that you can loose the keypad of your car keys.
I also learnt that the car won't start with just the analog part of the key (yes, I'm *that* oblivious to how car works).
The keypad is nowhere to be found and I'm stuck at work waiting for my husband to pick me up, so much for my Saturday night!
#71
Met Her On Tinder, Can’t Tell If This Was A Red Flag And I Got Out Early, Or Just Plain Unlucky
#73
Car Wash Fun
It was warm enough for the car wash to be open, so I brought my car through first, then went back for my truck. I was finishing up when the exit door shut on my hood, with, like, 45 seconds to go yet for drying.
#77
Chicken Stuck In Freezer Door
Wife put chicken in freezer for dinner on a later day. Now, it's frozen, and we can't get it out of the door. We've tried a hair dryer, hand warmers, and hot water. We don't necessarily want to break off the plastic piece, but I am running out of patience and ideas.
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Annika Kremer 2 weeks ago
I am being passed over for a chance I've been waiting for for eight years at work, over a complete technicality that isn't even remotely my fault. I'm definitely having a bad week (or, more accurately, decade), but at least it looks like I'm in good company.
Annika Kremer 2 weeks ago
I am being passed over for a chance I've been waiting for for eight years at work, over a complete technicality that isn't even remotely my fault. I'm definitely having a bad week (or, more accurately, decade), but at least it looks like I'm in good company.
Related on Bored Panda
