When does an accident become a 'tragedy'?

I think the real tragedy is that someone actually died on that bus and two other people critically injured as well, and all anyone can talk about is Tracy Morgan.

It becomes a tragedy when the media dramatize it. The word tragedy itself refers to drama.

See @dxs
Tragedy in the example is newspeak.

Actually, tragedy refers to a particular dramatic device

Spilling a beer is an accident.

Spilling the last beer is a tragedy.

It becomes a tragedy when we care, when we feel the impact of the event. If we don’t care about the people who were injured, then it’s no tragedy.

As @Seek correctly noted, when someone – anyone – dies as a result of the accident, then it’s a “tragic accident”.

@Blondesjon

Spilling your drink is a comedy.

Spilling my drink is a tragedy.

@seek summed it up well.

Any true accident will ultimately yield a tragedy on some level.

There can be happy accidents though,, so maybe it should just be referred to as an unhappy accident.

A bad car wreck is one of my worst fears. I drive without issue but on occasion when I think about it, I can’t think of anything much worse than being crushed in your car. Maybe dying in a porta potty on a 100 degree day, but at least you wouldn’t have broken bones and horrible injuries. Poor accident victims, whoever they are. Knock on wood my deck rail right now. haha

Walmart says they will “make it right.” Of course they have no choice but “make it right,” and of course they are going to say that. Especially because their truck driver was charged and allegedly he was driving 20 hours, which is illegal. It’s bad publicity and they’re liable.

A “tragedy” is something that the press will use to get viewers hooked on their channel. It’s usually something big. An accident is something that happens that is considered to be to “normal” to make money off of. Politicians do the same thing.

“The death of one man: that is a catastrophe. One hundred thousand deaths: that is a statistic!” – Kurt Tucholsky.