It's these stories that make me glad I went with an Otterbox Defender, even though I have Apple Care. I'm clumsy and paranoid, and the nearest Apple store is a few hours away. I would love to use my iPad naked, or with a minimalistic case, but I'd hate to mess it up and be without.
My sister had one of those huge, bulky Otterbox cases for her iPhone. All the babying she did with that thing, she walks away for a few seconds.. Someone picks up her phone to take a picture and falls in the swimming pool with it.