Life can hit you fast and hard and that's exactly what these people learned. You could be living your everyday life in utter monotony but then suddenly, the unexpected happens and messes it all up.
Thankfully, everyone has a camera these days and the internet's there to back it up. Check out these 50 heart-pounding images snapped moments before disaster strikes.
Nigel Corner, was the flying driver from this crash of the Goodwood Revival of 1998. Luckily, he survived this brutal crash. As one might imagine, he suffered several brutal injuries.
In an interview with Motor Sports Magazine, he said, “those old Ferraris are bloody strong, but if I’d been belted in I’d be a dead man now.” I guess this is the exception to the rule of not wearing a seatbelt.
This cargo ship came very close to capsizing altogether. While the ship's captain was relieved that the ship didn't tip over, he was disappointed to find out what happened to the cargo on the back of the ship.
Unbelievably, eight of those large shipping containers ended up in the water. You might think that they would've lost more, but that's still a lot of valuable product lost. You never know when disaster is going to strike next.
This pilot was flying at an air show and couldn't get his ejection button to work until the very last possible second. Some even thought it was a part of the show, but quickly realized just how real it was when his thrusters shot him forward and he took a nasty landing.
Luckily he didn't suffer any injuries, but he didn't expect to for things to go so terribly wrong so quickly. It was a traumatizing experience nevertheless.
Grandma was just trolling around in the water getting ready to take a nice activity picture when the unthinkable happened.
This alligator peeked his head up to give her a scare she'd never forget. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but moments after the picture was taken, she looked down and let out a scream so loud, that the alligator retreated.
Apparently, nobody told this whale that people aren't that tasty.
He seemed to be bored of his regular plankton and small crustaceans as he went after this diver's foot. The whale let go almost immediately, but this diver was scared thereafter and called it quits with the ocean for a while.
These folks were on an airboat tour through the Everglades when it suddenly took on water and dumped everyone into the gator infested waters.
Ironically, the tour guide was freaking out more than the passengers were, but that was probably because he knew what the dangers actually were. They all made it out safely, but not before gators started approaching, sending everyone's adrenaline levels through the roof!
This hilltop race ended abruptly and disastrously when one of the cars crashed into spectators.
Everyone was able to walk away safe after the crash except for the driver who was rushed to the hospital. The race car landed just shy of five feet from these three ladies, where it bounced off a rock and landed right-side-up.
This woman befriended a giant Burmese Python, known to swallow humans whole. She seemed completely peaceful.
These things commonly eat crocodiles, so going swimming with one seems like a ludicrous idea. Considering that this pretty lady wasn't harmed by this thing, maybe she's really a python whisperer.
Believe it or not, people are actually deathly afraid of clowns more often than you'd think. It's a fear that adults struggle with more than you'd think because they've known who pennywise is for longer than some children have been alive.
This poor baker is strolling happily along, completely unaware of what awaits him. He had no idea that his biggest fear was right around the corner. The worst part about this tragedy was that he dropped all of those pastries...simply heartbreaking.
Teenagers do stupid things. This young man decided it would be a great idea to create his own ramp on the side of a river bank and try to fly his bike to the other side.
His mother's face in the background screams the fear for laundry in her near future. His sister couldn't help but to find this moment hilarious as he smacked his face on the water like a bellyflop!
We get it. She’s pretty. But do you have to risk your life to get that last look?
This poor guy greatly embarrassed himself by running into that pole. I’m sure he’ll tell you it was worth it. He probably even got a date out of it (probably not, though).
This whale came awfully close to realizing that humans don’t taste good.
We’re all glad our ocean friend decided to stick to its diet of plankton and small crustaceans. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for these divers to play it safer from now on. Gosh, what a photo, though!
This lady was definitely freaked out by the fact that her husband was holding a sting ray to her back. No, nothing happened to her, but her reaction has made her famous.
Her priceless expression has sparked the creation of many memes. With the recent passing of Steve Irwin, I’m sure she was extra sensitive, since we all learned how powerful the sting of those rays actually is.
Officer Chuck Lamm holds a 6-foot alligator at gunpoint after it snuck up on him as he tried pulling someone over.
The gator stared Officer Lamm down for 20 minutes before walking back to the water. As for the individual Officer Lamm wanted to pull over, well, he was long gone.
We all think of whales as harmless. It’s true, they probably won’t eat you, but property damage is a whole different story.
For a killer whale to jump out of the water and land on a boat this small would mean instant destruction. Though these fishermen went for a nice swim, they lived to share their stories over dinner that night.
This couple seems so calm and collected despite the giant elephant about to pick up their car and toss it.
He must have been just wanting to get acquainted because a few sniffs were all it took and the couple drove off. Did you know that elephants were this big? I mean, look at its legs, they are taller than the car those kids are in!
An octopus can leave a person paralyzed and unable to breathe and swallow if it perceives a threat.
For this couple, faking paralysis seemed to disarm the little guy and he was able to be extricated without any harm befalling the man. Next time you’re walking down the boardwalk of your favorite beach, watch out for this 8-legged beauty.
Camels can be aggressive with one another and don’t usually display violent behavior towards humans.
They even enjoy sniffing humans and will sometimes play with their hair. In this case though, it looks like one camel was beyond frustrated and took his anger out on a pretty innocent tourist.
All pole dancers know that you should never pull any stunt with a drink in your hand!
Hopefully, this guy knew the girl striking a pose. If not, then this is exactly the reason why many of us abhor public transportation to begin with: It’s full of weird people on crazy missions.
If we could shoot our kitties out of big, silly cannons, this is surely what the furball projectiles would look like.
With that look of determination, this critter must have been chasing after something seriously exciting. Felines don’t tend to exert themselves like this unless they think it’s worth it.
(Not so) fun facts: When a honey bee stings something, it can’t retrieve its barbed stinger.
Instead, it has to fly away and leave not only its stinger, but part of its abdomen, digestive tract, muscles, and nerves. The honey bee promptly dies as a result of this abdominal rupture.
If you’ve ever been struck in your face while wearing glasses, you know exactly how much it hurts. Innocent frames of metal and plastic turn into weaponized assault garments.
This woman might have a hilarious photo for a dating site now, but she won’t play contact sports with glasses ever again.
The whole storks-deliver-babies wive’s tale goes back as far as Roman times. Over the centuries, many different cultures believed that storks brought good luck.
The birds are also good parents and care for their offspring long after they learn to fly. Perhaps that’s where the old story comes from?
This photo is nothing short of a tried and true classic—there’s just something special about it.
It looks exactly like the pigeon has targeted this child in particular for some sort of birdy, wasteful revenge. (If you haven’t seen this photo before, you must be new to the internet. Welcome!)
Here’s what probably happened in this photo: The young woman was probably keeping her composure, knowing that her stomach was upset.
When everyone started shifting places to squeeze in for this photo, it was just too much. Amateurs, take note—if you feel like you might get sick, head to a bathroom, stat. Better safe than sorry!
The timing of this photo is absolutely perfect. It had to have been taken a literal second before this car dove nose-first into the waters below.
We know what you’re wondering, and no, there was no one in the car. This car was actually dropped into the lake from the sky. Why? Maybe a mob boss was hiding evidence, or maybe someone was extremely bored.
Baseball games are so much fun, but if you’re close to home plate, you should really spend the majority of your time keeping an eye out for projectiles.
Even when you’re clear across the stadium, you should still pay attention—home runs can easily send a baseball flying right into someone’s face.
Oh, bird fights—so tiny, hilarious, and cute. These two are different species, and it looks like they’re well aware of it.
Why else would you boot someone who’s just trying to enjoy a seedy little snack? Mother Nature is beyond tough when you really think about it.
Imagine being the wedding photographer in this scenario. You know you’ve got a hilarious photo opportunity, but you can’t really interrupt the proceedings because you don’t want to ruin the moment.
Would you just shoot this and let the couple be surprised when you deliver the final set of photos?
This is actually a great photo that shows what skydiving really feels like! Falling through clouds for sixty seconds is a sensation like no other.
This guy’s clearly a professional if he’s striking poses in freefall, too. Advanced jumpers do all kinds of crazy challenging stunts in midair.
We get it. She’s pretty. But do you have to risk your life to get that last look?
This poor guy greatly embarrassed himself by running into that pole. I’m sure he’ll tell you it was worth it. He probably even got a date out of it (probably not, though).
This photo makes you want to go snorkeling and try to capture a similar shot of your own, right?
Think about how weird it feels to swim your way through a huge school of fish. It’s part live-action Spongebob Squarepants and part fishy photobomb—it’s definitely frame worthy.
If this pupper was aware of the kitty hanging from the doorframe, wouldn’t he be looking at it?
This cat could drop at any time and give that poor dog a serious scare. On the other hand, maybe it’s such a standard occurrence that he doesn’t care.
This is why it’s best to check the nuts and bolts that make up your bicycle, motorized or otherwise.
He was probably dizzy from all of those donuts. Other than that, though, this guy probably escaped with less than a bruise. Gotta love the ultra-low clearance of a minibike.
This photo really raises more than a few questions. Isn’t it strange to have a mirror finish on a waist-height bar?
Why is this space as brightly lit as a family restaurant? Do the waitstaff know that this alt-leg phenomenon takes place, or are they entirely oblivious?
Seriously, guys? Using a front loader to hoist up a ladder and take down a tree? The lawnmower responsible for supporting this load is barely big enough to manage a front yard.
Really, though, here’s to these guys and their determination. Someone out there has to make the bad decisions that the rest of us learn from!
This has to be Photoshopped, because what museum would house one of their pieces under plexiglass and another out in the open?
Also, why would a museum allow guests to walk up to the pieces without having their pedestals bolted to the ground? There are so many questions behind this photo.
Lady, what are you doing standing right on the edge of a pool?!
Maybe she’s had one mai-tai too many—or perhaps she knows exactly what she’s doing? Here’s hoping she didn’t have a cell phone in her pocket because that’s about to be gone.
The pair responsible for posing and shooting this photo definitely planned it ahead of time.
The end result is fantastic but frightening, because wouldn’t you end up with a face full of rocks and sand after this? Eh, whatever—sometimes you’ve just gotta do it for the Instagram. Namaste.
You haven’t felt disappointment until you’ve dropped a birthday cake that doesn’t belong to you.
Bonus points if the cake is for a super special birthday, like the sweet sixteen sheet pictured here. If you get lucky, the person who’s celebrating their birthday will be able to laugh it off.
It’s got to be really freaky to train police dogs. Even when you’re covered in a suit of armor, those first few attacks have to send your brain into panic mode.
This type of training starts in the puppy stage, so that must make for a fun couple of years for the canine.
This could be some sort of Halloween party, but with the poor judgment behind bicycle riding over a bonfire, let’s assume it’s just a normal weekend for this squad.
The depth of field seems to show that this guy didn’t land in the fire—but there’s still panic flashing through his body.
These people must be at the end of a night filled with partying. Why else would you be posing with a thumbs up for a photo with a pizza?
No matter what they’re doing, though, they hopefully had another pizza in the freezer for backup. Falling food always lands face down, and that’s a fact.
It looks like this guy was attempting some sort of backflip or somersault into the pool.
The whole thing would probably look pretty great if it worked out in his favor, but he was hit with some bad luck instead. He probably ended up with a broken nose and hopefully kept all of his teeth.
Yikes. This would be one of those heart-stopping moments of fear that we usually encounter at least once as drivers.
What are you even supposed to do if this happens? If you’re lucky enough to get out of the way, probably get on the phone with your lawyer.