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An accident or major illness (esp. w/o insurance, but even with) can definitely be a fast track to bankruptcy. For example, one of my friends, who has insurance, just had very needed though somewhat unusual brain surgery to remove a debilitating tumor. They found out insurance would cover it the DAY OF the surgery, but they would have done it anyway. I don't know, but I suspect this surgery was in excess of $100,000. My friend and his wife are in their mid-twenties, just out of school . . .their only real assest is a small condo. Under circumstances like that I think a lot of us would think pretty hard about bankruptcy (if insurance hadn't covered it.)