In a Blaze of Glory
With good reference and a willingness to take the extra step to marry your shot and effect together, you can create believable footage that would require danger or destruction if taken with a camera. Even in cases when you work on a project that has the budget to re-create some of the mayhem described in this article, you can use the After Effects techniques to enhance and build upon what the camera captured.
And remember, be careful out there.