The few times I've struck a pedal was no big deal. Suprising, yes but usually have the momentum to just keep going.
Time ATAC pedals on 165mm cranks on a track frame taking a tight roundabout very fast, going through a light that just turned red with traffic taking off from the side. That's got to be my worst situation of pedal strike.

Making a quick U-turn on a narrow street was a 'suprising but no dire consequences' experience. That one actually intitiated a turning skid which was pretty fun. I've since learned to do it on purpose...