The 35 Most Unforgettable 'ER' Moments Ever, From Helicopter Tragedies To Exploding Ambulances

Long before the actor would star in UnREAL, she played a character named Ms. Murphy, who comes into the emergency room with what turns out to be an ectopic pregnancy.

Here, Appleby appears as an intern named Dr. Daria Wade. And while it's not out-of-the-question that she could have changed her name at some point, Daria never mentions any visit to County General as a teenager.

While Doug Ross (George Clooney) and Carol eventually end up having twins together, he mentions having another child whom he hasn't met during Season 1.

The episode where hot pediatrician Doug Ross saves a young boy named Ben from drowning made him a star, both onscreen and off. Perhaps one of the most dramatic shots in the series is Doug bursting out of the water, Ben in his arms, as a helicopter hovers overhead.

After getting divorced from his first wife, Mark has a short fling with the nurse Chuny Marquez (Laura Cerón). But when the excitement fizzles out, she breaks things off.

Toward the beginning of the series, then-Chief of Staff Dr. Anspaugh (John Aylward) has a child with lymphoma. While Nurse Jeanie Boulet (Gloria Reuben) diligently takes care of Scott until he dies, that Anspaugh seems old enough to be the boy's grandfather is never really explained.

Carter is deeply affected when he and Lucy (Kellie Martin) are stabbed by a schizophrenic man named Paul. While Lucy is killed, Carter suffers from PTSD and becomes a drug addict.

Side note: Paul was played by David Krumholtz, who would go on to star in Numb3rs, and his girlfriend was portrayed by Gilmore Girls fixture Liza Weil.

Much to her chagrin, Dr. Corday (Alex Kingston) is forced to perform surgery on her boss's furry friend. To make matters worse, Elizabeth's critical mom finds out when she makes an unannounced visit to County General, thoroughly embarrassing her.

Even after repeatedly asking everyone to please call her by her Chinese name, Jing-Mei (Ming-Na Wen) continued to get called Deb until she left the show.

When Luka Kovač (Goran Visnjic) and Abby get held up, the Croatian doctor retaliates by repeatedly hitting their attacker's head against the sidewalk.

After becoming pregnant with a male nurse's child, Jing-Mei decides to give her baby up for adoption. She doesn't make the choice lightly, and Carter gives emotional support to his friend.

Although Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) and his girlfriend, Carla, had broken up by the time she discovers she's pregnant, she claims that he's the father. However, Peter finds out much later that he's not; regardless, he still raises Reese as his own, gaining custody after Carla dies in a car accident.

Luka is a sad sack for his entire run of the show, experiencing one tragedy after another. First, his wife and children are killed back in Croatia, then Carol leaves him to be with Doug, then Abby breaks up with him. He finally can't take it anymore and begins seeing sex workers, which is a surprising choice for his character.

Don Cheadle's aspiring surgeon, Paul Nathan, felt very gimmicky. While Parkinson's Disease is obviously no laughing matter, it seemed very contrived-for-TV to feature his character in a profession where steady hands are an essential part of the job.

Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) goes on local news to discuss the importance of getting your flu shot. But when she goes to demonstrate on the anchors, she forgets to switch needles, and uses a dirty one on live TV.

After a costly mistake with a helicopter propeller, the cocky surgeon is forced to learn how to practice medicine with one arm. It... does not go well.

Depending on your opinion of Dr. Romano, that a second chopper crushes him to death is either karmic or tragic. Whichever it is, you have to admit that this scene is absolutely buckwild.

Africa first became a plot point in Season 9, when Kovač and Carter go to the Congo through Doctors Without Borders. Throughout the next six seasons, these two ER characters make other trips to the continent, as does Greg Pratt (Mekhi Phifer). And when Carter leaves the show in Season 11, he moves to Africa to be with his girlfriend, Kem (Thandie Newton).

While he's in the Congo, Luka is captured by the Mai Mai and is only let go when they believe he is a priest.

After Dr. Morris (Scott Grimes) ruffles someone's feathers, the disgruntled ER patient retaliates by driving a military tank straight at County General.

After Gallant (Sharif Atkins) and Neela (Parminder Nagra) hastily get married, the military doctor gets killed by a bomb when he returns to the field.

Everything about John Leguizamo's ER character was wild — from his dramatic entrance on the show to his growing mental problems to his girlfriend's violent husband. Clemente left the ER as he entered it: as a patient.

During a house party that Morris and Ray (Shane West) attend, the entire balcony falls out from under the party-goers, many of whom are killed.

After walking drunkenly into the street after Luka and Abby's wedding, Ray is hit by a car. As a result, his legs are amputated, and West left the show soon after.

After Lucien Dubenko (Leland Orser) is diagnosed with prostate cancer, he asks Abby to have sex with him, just in case he loses the ability post-surgery. However, she politely declines.

A sick baby chimp is one of the more unconventional patients they've had at County General.

The goofy doctor is nervous about a date he's going on and confides to Pratt that he's got two extra nipples.

Four redheaded children show up at County General and explain that Morris is their father. While first taken aback, he is soon excited to be the hands-on dad that it's soon clear his offspring aren't looking for.

Sam Taggart (Linda Cardellini) was another character to have a rough go of it. After her felon ex-husband kidnaps her and her son, Alex, she shoots him in self-defense.

Jurassic Park has nothing on this episode of ER, in which Abby saves several people from a vehicle that is teetering off the edge of a cliff.

Curtis Ames (Whitaker) was a disgruntled patient of Luka's who retaliates by holding Abby captive. Eventually, he shoots himself in front of Luka.

When was it that Dr. Morris, the man who used to hide in the bathroom asking his dad medical questions on the phone, evolved into a competent physician? It's unclear, but it makes no sense that he didn't have his license revoked.

Tony Gates (John Stamos) was not a well-formed character, but his relationship with Sarah was perhaps the most confusing. After his best friend dies in Iraq, Tony ends up sleeping off-and-on with his friend's wife, Meg. But when they break up for good, Meg dies by suicide, and Tony ends up taking custody of her daughter, Sarah.

How is Anspaugh both young enough to have a pre-teen son and old enough to have a nephew who's in his 30s and is also Australian? The math doesn't add up!

In a tragic turn of events, Pratt dies due to complications after an ambulance he was in blew up.

Perhaps the best part about ER's wildest moments is that they're still just as impactful a decade after the show's finale.