Frane Selak, a modest music teacher from Croatia, lived a life that defies belief.
His remarkable series of fortunate and unfortunate events began in 1962, transforming him into a figure known worldwide as either the unluckiest or luckiest man alive.
Born in 1929, Selak led an ordinary existence until fate intervened repeatedly in dramatic ways.
The chain of events kicked off during a train journey from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik in the winter of 1962.
A sudden derailment sent the train hurtling into the frigid Neretva River.
While 17 passengers lost their lives, Selak escaped with a broken arm and severe hypothermia after swimming to shore.
Undeterred, Selak took his first airplane flight the following year.
Mid-flight, an emergency door malfunctioned, sucking him out of the aircraft.
He plummeted thousands of feet but miraculously landed in a haystack, surviving as the plane crashed, killing all aboard.
In 1966, another public transport mishap occurred when the bus Selak was riding skidded off the road and plunged into a river.
Four passengers drowned, but once again, he emerged relatively unscathed, swimming to safety with minor injuries.
Deciding to avoid mass transit, Selak purchased a car.
However, in 1970, his vehicle’s fuel tank exploded on the highway. He barely managed to exit before the car burst into flames, escaping with burns but alive.
Three years later in 1973, a similar fate befell him as his car caught fire again.
Selak quickly abandoned the vehicle just moments before it exploded completely, cheating death for yet another time.
The misfortunes continued into the 1990s.
In 1995, while walking in Zagreb, Selak was struck by a bus but sustained only minor bruises and cuts, adding to his growing list of narrow escapes.
The following year, in 1996, while driving on a mountainous road, Selak swerved to avoid an oncoming truck.
His car careened off a cliff, but he was thrown clear and caught hold of a tree branch, watching as his vehicle plummeted below.
After decades of battling near-death experiences, Selak’s luck finally turned positive in a different way.
In 2003, at the age of 74, he purchased his first lottery ticket and won a substantial jackpot equivalent to around $1 million, allowing him to retire comfortably.
Selak often reflected on his extraordinary life with a mix of humor and gratitude.
He married multiple times and enjoyed simple pleasures, crediting his survival to divine intervention or sheer chance. His story inspired many to appreciate life’s fragility.
Today, Frane Selak’s tale serves as a testament to human resilience and the unpredictability of fate.
Whether truly the world’s luckiest man or a product of embellished tales, his legacy endures as one of the most astonishing survival stories ever told.
He passed away peacefully in 2016 at age 87.