Top 10 Most Expensive Accidents In History

Throughout history, humans have always been prone to accidents. Some, such as the exotic car crashes seen on this page, can be very expensive. But that's trivial compared to the truly expensive accidents. An accident is defined as "an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss". Our aim is to list the top 10 most expensive accidents in the history of the world as measured in dollars. This includes property damage and expenses incurred related to the accident such as cleanup and industry losses. Many of these accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in dollar terms. Each life lost is priceless and is not factored into the equation. Deliberate actions such as war or terrorism and natural disasters do not qualify as accidents and therefore are not included in this list.

10. Titanic – Loss Involved $150 Million:

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today’s dollars).

9. Tanker Truck vs Bridge – Loss Involved $358 Million:

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

8. MetroLink Crash – Loss Involved $500 Million:

On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.

7. B-2 Bomber Crash – Loss Involved $1.4 Billion:

Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we’re only #7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.

6. Exxon Valdez – Loss Involved $2.5 Billion:

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world’s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship’s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

5. Piper Alpha Oil Rig – Loss Involved $3.4 Billion:

The world’s worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was the world’s single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world’s most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion.
Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

4. Challenger Explosion – Loss involved $5.5 Billion:

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today’s dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today’s dollars).

3. Prestige Oil Spill – $12 Billion:

On November 13, 2002, many of us didnt heared about this catasctrophic incident. The Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia, Spain. Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.
According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion.

2. Space Shuttle Columbia – Loss involved $13 Billion:

The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA’s orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today’s dollars. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million.
In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

1. Chernobyl -Loss Involved $200 Billion:

On April 26, 1986, This is the world’s worst and also the costliest accident ever in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl, including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.

tHe hiStoRy Of JeAms BoNd

James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr. No. The character came from the mind of author Ian Fleming, who wrote a series of stories about the spy. Since then, all of these have been adapted for film and Bond has become the longest running movie franchise in history, with six actors taking on the role since it first began.

Sean Connery (1962 to 1967):

The first Bond film, Dr No, starred Sean Connery, who was selected for the role over other notable actors of the time. It was the beginning of a legend - Connery started all the things we expect of Bond from the lovely ‘Bond girls’ to the signature theme tune that always appears. Connery, in the eyes of many fans, is the definitive Bond. Something about the way he carried the role was more special than any other that has followed. His voice alone fitted the agent perfectly - it was mysterious and charming, plus the lazenby_bond first time he said the words ‘Bond, James Bond’ while puffing on a cigarette, a special moment in cinema was made.

George Lazenby (1969):

After five films Connery decided to give up on being Bond and George Lazenby was selected as the next actor to play the role. However, Lazenby’s performance in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was met with severe criticism, meaning he did not return for any more films as Bond. Connery was then brought back for one final outing in Diamonds are Forever, where he finally beat one of the franchises’ most notorious villains, Blofeld, known for always appearing with his signature white Persian cat.

Roger Moore (1973 to 1985):

It was then timmoore5ae for a new actor to be drafted in, and judging by Lazenby’s poor performance, this wasn’t going to be an easy selection. Roger Moore received the honour, who delivered an excellent performance as Bond - a more light-hearted performance than Connery’s. Moore used a new style by tending to use more witty remarks. It was a formula that would prove successful, as Moore’s outing as Bond gained rave reviews from critics and made huge amounts at the worldwide box office. An iconic villain came into the Moore films - the metal toothed ‘Jaws’, who appeared in both The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Roger starred in a total of six Bond movies before ending his stint as the character in 1985 in A View to A Kill, passing on the torch of Bond to another new actor, this time Timothy Dalton.

Timothy Dalton (1987 to 1989):

Like Lazenby this was to be a short-lived experience, who only starred in two films before resigning as the character only this time both the films - The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill - enjoyed success at the box office. Dalton’s Bond was slightly more realistic with plausible plots than some of Moore’s outings. After his resignation, the series then took a six year break before Pierce Brosnan stepped up in 1995, in GoldenEye.

Pierce Brosnan (1995 to 2002):

This Bond saw a new take on the franchise, designed for a modern audience. It had more over the top gadgets, more flash cars and more beautiful Bond girls than ever before and this formula continued for a total of four films. Fans started to think that things were getting a bit too over the top, and the movies started to attract plenty of negative criticism. Die Another Day in 2002 would be Brosnan’s last in the role as he felt he was becoming too old to continue with the stress of playing the character. An extensive casting process to find a new Bond began, with actor Daniel Craig chosen as a result. At first, the media slated Craig as Bond, saying he was unfit for the role, but they were soon silenced as Craig produced a stellar performance in Casino Royale, which showed a grittier, more mature side to Bond than ever seen before.

Daniel Craig (2006 to Till date):

Daniel Craig as James Bond, Craig's physical training for his reprise of the role placed extra effort into running and boxing, to spare him the injuries he sustained on his stunts in the first film. Craig felt he was fitter, being less bulky than in the first film. He also practiced speedboating and stunt driving. Craig felt Casino Royale was physically "a walk in the park" compared to Quantum of Solace, and required a different performance from him because Quantum of Solace is a revenge film, not a love story like Casino Royale.