'[He] hurled his phone off the cliff': 25+ Instant karma moments that took people by surprise

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 3, 2024 5:00 PM EST

Sometimes the universe deals you a bad hand, and how you handle that is totally up to you. Life isn't fair, and bad things do happen to even the best people. 

For example, a lot of people shared stories of the instant karma they've experienced on the road. While driving, numerous people shared tales of the times they were being tailgated by the driver behind them. That's when you're driving and the person behind you is riding right up close to your bumper. They're letting you know that they think you're going too slow, and they want to go around you. Luckily for the drivers who shared stories, their road-raging tailgaters got stopped by cops and chastised for their bad driving. Karma can be so sweet. And hopefully, a pricey ticket will keep speeding drivers from driving 30 miles over the speed limit next time they're on the highway. That's an expensive reminder. 

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  • Other people shared stories of instant karma that took place in high school. Kids have no problem with bullying each other, and at least a few of these bullies got what was coming to them. 

    You can check out these satisfying tales below. Then, read about this group of lawyers who hired a chef for just one day in order to get back at a pesky security guard. 

  • 01
    'In high school a guy cut in front of me and said, "Out of my way!" He then proceeded to trip on the stairs'
    via Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash
  • 02
    What's the best case of Instant Karma you've witnessed?
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    Piano9717 I was at a touristy place at the top of a big cliff. People were hanging around at the top, just enjoying the view, and this one guy was eating a sandwich while staring at his phone. After he was done, he couldn't be bothered to find a trash can so he went to throw the sandwich wrappings off the cliff, but he got his hands confused and hurled his phone off the cliff instead.
    via u/Piano9717
  • 04
    out-on-a-farm Sitting in an office building's lobby. Watched a guy get into an argument with another, then proceed to walk directly into a glass window.
    via u/out-on-a-farm
  • 05
    thegreatestsnowman1 A person tried to shove past me in the hallway. Immediately after, a door opened up into the hallway and slammed him in the face.
    via u/thegreatestsnowman1
  • 06
    Skidmark666 This cut into my lane, forcing me to brake hard the other week. I honked and he turned around in his car, while still driving, to flip me off. He didn't see the car in front of him stopping at a red light and crashed into the car in front of him. I had a lot of fun telling the police what had happened.
    via u/Skidmark666
  • 07
    Hash43 Pedestrian crossing the street. Everyone stops for him except one guy in the last lane blasts his horn and blows through the intersection nearly running the pedestrian over. There was an unmarked police car right behind him that immediately pulled him over.
    via u/Hash43
  • 08
    Mrofcourse Was walking down the street and a Porsche gunned it to make a left turn in front of me at the entrance of a gas station. He missed hitting me by about a foot. He cut it too close and hit the curb and tore his front bumper off.
    via u/Mrofcourse
  • 09
    SpitFyre8513 A few years back, I was traveling on the interstate to meet some friends who attended a different college than I did for a weekend. On the way there, I'm in the right hand lane, minding my own business, when a car tries to cut me off. No big deal right? Except she ended up clipping my bumper and running me off the road, with her driving speeds of ~80- 85mph. Other driver keeps on going along her merry way, while I'm on the shoulder attempting to contact the local
    via u/SpitFyre8513
  • 10
    police to report an accident. 5 minutes later, a state trooper pulls up behind me and asks what happened. I explain the situation, describe the other vehicle, including a partial license plate number, and he asked if my car was still drivable. After confirming that it was, he said, "just follow me up to this next exit - I got a call about a driver who is out of gas and needs assistance."
    via u/SpitFyre8513
  • 11
    We pull up to the next exit just shy of a gas station. Sure enough, it was the girl who was the other party in my hit and run. She tried to deny anything occurred, until the trooper looked at my front bumper damage, and her back end damage, assessed the paint colors matched, etc. Bonus is that her plate had the partial information I had gathered as she sped away. Turns out, girl has no insurance and no license. Gets hauled off to jail on a hit-and- run, all because she couldn't slow her ass down
    via u/SpitFyre8513
  • 12
    packpeach A lifted pick up truck with one of those train horns was driving aggressively through morning work traffic and honking at people who got in his way. He did it to an unmarked sheriff (or trooper...some kind of law enforcement) and promptly got his pulled over.
    via u/packpeach
  • 13
    [deleted] My older sister and I didn't get along well growing up. One day we were both on a city bus on our way home. As we approached our stop, I got up and moved toward the door. As it opened, my sister aggressively shoved past me to get off first. The second she stepped off she was nailed full on by seagull . This was over 50 years ago and it still makes me smile.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 14
    duckmunch During my lunch break at work a few years ago, I ran over to this convenience store that sold a few deli items and also had a lunch of the day special. That day it was spaghetti. I walked into the store and headed to the back to the coolers to grab a drink and I start walking over to the line that was formed to grab a lunch. This older woman, who was talking to a woman not even close to the line, saw me walking and literally strong armed me to get in front of
    via u/duckmunch
  • 15
    me. She full on shoulder checked me. The cashier saw it, looked at me and I just shook my head as if to not call her out on it. She gets two orders of spaghetti. They come in a Styrofoam compartment tray. She walked towards the door and someone comes in that she knows so she's saying hi. I pay for my food and I'm out the door.
    via u/duckmunch
  • 16
    As, I'm walking to my truck, I hear a loud "OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF". I turn around and this woman is planked on the ground with spaghetti and meat sauce all over her white shirt.
    via u/duckmunch
  • 17
    SteroidSandwich In highschool a guy cut in front of me and said "out of my way!" He then proceeded to trip on the stairs
    via u/SteroidSandwich
  • 18
    rickyroyale Dude I worked with(pizza delivery) hit my bumper and scratched in the parking lot. A customer called him out on it, he denied it and went on his delivery. On that delivery he was t-boned and his car was totaled. Had he come into the store to tell me and apologize, I would have forgiven it. Instead he had to pay 500 for a new bumper paint job annnnd lost his car.
    via u/rickyroyale
  • 19
    bangersnmash13 Driving in the slow lane. Guy rushes up to my bumper and starts tailgating me. Honked his horn and flashed his lights. When I didn't move he went around me. Once he passed my car, so did a state trooper with his lights on.
    via u/bangersnmash13
  • 20
    Another time, when driving to work, car starts tailgating me, but doing the 'speed up-slow down' thing. I look in my rear- view mirror and see a girl in the passenger seat yell at him. The car speeds up to my bumper one more time. I look in my rear-view getting ready to flip him off, then I see the girl absolutely slap the guy driving. He backed off and stopped tailgating me.
    via u/bangersnmash13
  • 21
    Macmordian1701 Worked at a convenience store several years ago (check my other posts for a couple of funny stories). This was back before gas pumps were all either card at the pump or prepay. It was about 7am and the morning rush was on. A suspicious fella pulled up to our farthest away pump and positioned his car so that it was not easily visible from the building. This is a dead giveaway for someone who is going to drive off without paying. My manager and I watch this guy as we are ringing up
    via u/Macmordian1701
  • 22
    and sure enough, when he filled up, he gets in the car and peels out making a run for the road. He leaves our lot via a small access rd that ends at a traffic intersection. Red light. He stops for the light, then decides he needs to get the out of dodge and guns it again through the red light. When he does, he breaks his drive shaft. Car coasts to a stop right in the middle of the intersection. But wait....theres more... Guy walks back INTO THE STORE, and asks if he can use our phone because his
    via u/Macmordian1701
  • 23
    breaks down! My manager says "sure, after you pay for the gas you just stole." Guy gets all indignant "I didnt steal no gas!" getting more and more agitated and confrontational. Just then two police officers walk in. Now these are two lady cops, both in their late 50's early 60's that usually are stationed at the local high schools but always stop in for a coffee and a pastry. These ladies are the nicest people you'd ever meet, always with smiles on their faces. As soon as they turn the corner a
    via u/Macmordian1701
  • 24
    manager. Their demeanor's changed in an instant, going from kindly grandmother to IM GOING TO KICK YOUR TEETH IN in microseconds. They manhandle this guy away from my manager, push him up against the wall, cuff him and stuff him. You know how you always think to yourself "Why is there never a cop around when you need one?" This time there was.
    via u/Macmordian1701
  • 25
    NeedANapAndAHalf A week ago my husband was on a work trip and he got a free upgrade to first class. He got on the plane and sat down in 3A. A few minutes later a woman boards and tells him in a bitchy tone "excuse me, you're in my seat." He takes out his ticket and shows it to her politely. She also has a ticket for 3A. She insists he needs to move because she PAID for that seat and its HERS. A flight attendant gets involved and my husband says he'll move (he was very polite),
    via u/NeedANapAndAHalf
  • 26
    so the flight attendant has him stand aside and says hopefully there will be another first class seat. They're about to close up the plane and the flight attendant welcomes them on their flight to Charlotte, and the women in 3A goes OH . She got on the wrong flight. Idiot. My husband felt very smug watching her leave and enjoyed his 3A seat.
    via u/NeedANapAndAHalf
  • 27
    VelocityChamber I got punched in the face by my cousin. I was 14 at the time and he was 8. He yelled I am invincible! And held his fists up to assert dominance. And then he turned 180 into a wooden support post in our basement. He sat down covering his face and starting crying and I was trying to maintain a concerned and worried look but it was just funny as
    via u/VelocityChamber
  • 28
    Triangle_Graph Overheard an Admin at work boasting that she could easily skew the numbers on the tills to make it appear as though so-and-so's the till was short. Now, I'm not a snitch, but I'm also not gonna let some kid get thrown under the bus cause of some 1. The next day, I went to my boss to report it, but as I walk in, I see the Admin nearly in tears, claiming the boss 'stabbed her in the back.' I don't know what she got booted for, but everyone agrees she deserved it.
    via u/Triangle_Graph
  • 29
    Admin wasn't fired, just moved to a department where she's visibly stressed and drowning in the workload. A better punishment, I think.
    via u/Triangle_Graph
  • 30
    AForEffort13 A random guy was a total to me at a cafe. A few days later, I interviewed him for a job.
    via u/AForEffort13
  • 31
    chirsmitch I was driving on the freeway one day and needed to get over. I checked to make sure it was clear, signaled and changed lanes. I didn't realize there was an escalade coming up behind at over 100 mph in that lane. (He was going so fast that the lane looked clear when I checked 1 second ago.)
    via u/chirsmitch
  • 32
    The escalade decided to teach me a lesson by acting like it wasn't going to stop and plow into me. There were now cars on both sides of me so I couldn't swerve out of the way. So the escalade screams up until last possible second and then hits the brakes hard so he matches my speed about a foot away from my bumper. While this is happening I'm freaking out and wobbling the car cause I think I'm going to get creamed.
    via u/chirsmitch
  • 33
    The cop that was one lane over and 2 cars back immediately flipped on his lights and pulled them over. That was quite a roller coaster ride of emotions for me.
    via u/chirsmitch
  • 34
    Macabalony I was stuck in the left lane passing 5 semi trucks. One car was riding my tail the entire time. Honking. Flipping me off. Flashing their high beams. Doing everything in their power to make me move. As soon as I move, the other car zooms right past flipping me off. 3 miles later the car was pulled over.
    via u/Macabalony
  • 35
    missinguva First day of school, starting first grade, and I was wearing my uniform for the first time. Everything fitted me, except my shoes that were bigger than they should. My mom was going to change them later that day, but I had to survive my first day without any incident. All was good until break, when I decided it would be an excellent idea to play soccer for a while. Of course it happened. My shoe flew all the way across the yard and fell hard on somebody's head. I was
    via u/missinguva
  • 36
    mortified, but luckily nobody else seemed to be paying much attention to it. Until a kid pointed at me and started laughing as loud as he could, screaming for everybody to see what had happened. Now people were staring. And I was about to start crying. But not even 5 seconds go by when another kid runs straight into the laughing kid, making him fall to the floor... on top of his really dark chocolate milk. He was a mess. Covered from head to toe in milk. And since people were already looking in
    via u/missinguva
  • 37
    at him. Nobody noticed me picking my shoe and then running to the bathroom. Karma, weird accident, I don't know, but everybody remembered "milk boy" that year
    via u/missinguva
  • 38
    blackjesushiphop Mine was two fold. The company I work for requires you to pass a series of tests to be considered for employment. First test is general knowledge (idiot test) just to weed out people who aren't that bright. I took my tests with 30 other people that day and 20 of them failed this test. 10 left. Second test was general knowledge part 2 (the revenge of idiot test) and a further 7 people failed that test leaving just 3 people left.
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 39
    The tests take a total of 8 hours and there are breaks in between. We were not allowed to leave the building during testing. If we had to leave then we would have to reschedule the tests for another day. I think this is because of fear of someone stealing a test booklet and finding the answers and different versions of the test at given on different days. Me and the other two guys were stuck there together for the rest of the day so we got to talking in between tests. One guy was older...maybe i
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 40
    was bragging about how easy the tests were and couldn't believe 27 people failed. The other dude was my age at the time...pretty young for the job we were applying for. He was nervous and seemed happy he made it through the first two tests. As I studied for the tests there was one that I wasn't sure about. I knew I would have a hard time with that one and when they put out the docket for tests I saw the hard one would be he last one on the list. My plan was to pass 4 of the tests and reschedule
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 41
    study. All three of us passed the 3rd test and I had to listen to the old man gloat about how easy it was when the young guy and myself lamented it was harder than we thought. The young said he knew all the math parts but the theory and hardware parts would be the most difficult for him. I said the math would be hard for me but I was confident with the hardware stuff. I was bluffing of course. I studied using old navy manuals that didn't have anything about newer hardware so I was ignorant to th
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 42
    was strong in the math part because I found out we would be able to use calculators and my father in law gifted me his best up old scientific calculator. The old man called. us both stupid if we thought that was hard and was in for a shock if we actually got the job. I sit down for test #4 thinking it was the math test according to the docket...but when I opened her book I found out it wasn't. It was the hardware test. I raised my hand and asked to reschedule because of the mixup and she said th
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 43
    the booklet. I freaked out... My whole life was riding on this test. I moved here for the job and if I didn't get it I wouldnt be able to afford an apartment. I calmed myself and just tried to answer using context clues and deductive reasoning... After the test I asked the young guy how he did and he said he was sure he failed it. I said me too. This launched the old man into a tirade about how he has worked in this industry for 25 years and if I thought the tests were hard now then I was going
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 44
    make it in real life. This went in for 20 mins. About how my generation was weak and stupid and he feared for the future. He said he knew that test like the back of his hand. As you can probably guess...the old man failed. And me and the young guy passed. He didn't say a word and just got up and walked out. I didn't say a word either. I just smiled as he left. Now I told you this instant karma was two-fold.
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 45
    After the old man left the other young guy went the off laughing and making fun of him. Talking about how we "got this" since we had our calculators and he was talking about how he hopes we work together and how cool of a story it would be. He went to the pay phone and called his GF and told her it was in that he was going to pass and that she can start looking for a new house and everything. He had his calculator out playing with it while we waited for the last test. It was a TI-82 graphing cal
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 46
    I never took high level math...but my friends did...and I loved playing with their TI calculators. (This was before smart phones we were easier to entertain back then) I looked at it for a minute and something hit me. Holy ...this calculator didn't have scientific functions on it at all. No octal no hexidecimal...nothing. He assumed since it was so fancy it did...but it didn't. I told him this and he went white. What do you mean he said. So I showed him in my old beat up calculator how I
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 47
    do number conversions and he didn't have the buttons to do it. Now being the over preparing dude I am...I learned how to do it on paper in the event we couldn't use calculators. He was not so studious. So I tried to give him a crash course how to do it on paper and write out number lines and all that. He wasn't getting it. I said maybe he should ask to reschedule and get another calculator. He suggested I give him mine since I knew how to do it on paper.
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 48
    Uh...man...you are cool and all but I just met you. I'm not good at math and this is the rest of my life we are taking about. I'm sorry I need mine. He refused to reschedule saying he got this far and would be fine. He failed. BUT silver lining the 4 tests he passed qualified him for another job that paid almost the same but it was not as good and the one we were going for. I got the job and have been here for 19 years now.
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 49
    That day taught me to always be humble and never count your chickens.
    via u/blackjesushiphop
  • 50
    acenarteco I was waiting tables at a restaurant in Texas and these three obnoxious women were complaining about a free appetizer they'd gotten plus the drinks, etc. Just complaining on and on. I didn't bother discounting anything else for them because their complaints weren't really founded and they were They stiffed me on the tip (heh) and, to add insult to injury, dumped what little was left in their drinks and salsa cups, chips, quest, etc allIII
    via u/acenarteco
  • 51
    over the table. It was a pretty big mess, and would take several towels to soak up. Nice. I saw the mess and walked away, only to see one of them come back in, rush over the table and pick up her phone. A phone she definitely did not have in a waterproof case. She wiped it on her pants so I know it got all wet. I didn't mind cleaning up after them so much after that. I just wish I had found the phone first. I would have made her pick it up to get it back.
    via u/acenarteco
  • 52
    kaalkoppie Quite recently, we got our tests back in German. One of my classmates had studied only the night before, but got an 1,5/10. Classmate 2 (nerdy type, always starts studying 2 weeks in advance) just stood and laughed at him, until he got his test back. He got a 1/10. He's still not over it
    via u/kaalkoppie
  • 53
    DonKiddic A few years ago now, there were terrible gales of wind in my town. Like they would be pushing you down the street at times. At the place I worked at, there seemed to be a funnel effect due to the size of the building and narrow streets which made the wind even stronger, to the point you could almost lean backwards as you walked, which you had to do to stop yourself from being pushed forward.
    via u/DonKiddic
  • 54
    Well one time I came out of work, walked down the road in the strong winds to the corner, (were there was an adjacent road), and the wind picked up something crazy, and practically fired me out around the corner. Unbeknownst to me, there was a old women coming the other way, who saw me just randomly fly out from around the corner, and looked at me like I was a prize idiot just messing around. I looked back to see her reach this corner, where the wind was still blowing strong, and it sent her fly
    via u/DonKiddic
  • 55
    Luckily nothing was coming at the time, but it was very much a: "Young man, don't act like that" She gets to corner and wind blows "AARRGHHHHHH"
    via u/DonKiddic
  • 56
    LapsoApso I passed a slow car on a back road who was going too slow. This lady then proceeded to ride my ass, all the way to my house, cuts me off at the last second which caused me to hit her. Called the cops all the while this crazy is in my face talking about beating me up. When the cop shows up he confirms there's no damage to her car. He takes our licenses and when he hands mine back he tells me she has a warrant for her arrest. I waved at her as she got arrested lol.
    via u/LapsoApso
  • 57
    Itzizium One time I went to a museum/showroom and me and my mother went to go get food. I went to grab and reserve a table. So I sat down while my mom went to go get some food. Then this one guy comes and starts trying to take the other chair at table.
    via u/Itzizium
  • 58
    So I tell him "that there's someone sitting there", but he doesn't listen and takes it away anyway. At the time I was still to little to really do anything about it. So I go and grab a chair from a unoccupied table. Then I see the guy sit down in the chair with his food. When the guy sat down. The chair broke from under him. Making him fall on is back. Also spilling his food over himself.
    via u/Itzizium
  • 59
    rimologie A story I learned about recently. When I was still in architecture school, a professor gave his class an exercice. One student came up with a project with a lot of ramps for disabled people. The professor started laughing and asked her to remove them because no one will use them. A month After or so, he lost his leg.
    via u/rimologie
  • 60
    [deleted] So it's winter and everything is covered in snow. I'm going home from a friends place and I see my shoe lace is untied. I grab a nearby tree so I can maintain my balance while I put the shoe lace inside my shoe and immediately after grabbing a tree a ton of snow falls on my head. A woman that was walking behind me starts laughing at my and right after she walks by me she slipped on the ice and fell down. I had a good laugh of revenge.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 61
    [deleted] As a lifeguard, shouting at a little : "for the third time, stop running! You could trip and fal- oh, yes, exactly."
    via u/[deleted]

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