How didn’t it work out well? What is wrong with Lehman going bankrupt?
"Immediately following the bankruptcy filing, an already distressed financial market began a period of extreme volatility, during which the Dow experienced its largest one day point loss, largest intra-day range (more than 1,000 points) and largest daily point gain. [...] The Dow eventually closed at a new six-year low of 7,552.29 on November 20, followed by a further drop to 6626 by March of the next year.
"The fall of Lehman also had a strong effect on small private investors such as bond holders and holders of so-called Minibonds."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehman_Brothers#Financial_fallout