The world’s luckiest man? Cheated death seven times - then won the lottery
This is the remarkable story of Frane Selak, a man who survived several brushes with death before hitting the lottery jackpot.
Some people are born with luck on their side - or at least seem to have fortune smiling on them for most of their lives. Others look cursed, shadowed by misfortune at every turn. And then there’s Frane Selak, a man whose story defies belief: he cheated death not once, not twice, but seven times… and then hit the lottery at age 74.
Who was Frane Selak, the ‘luckiest man in the world’?
Selak, a Croatian music teacher, is widely regarded as one of the luckiest people in history. Born in 1929, his extraordinary run of fortune began in 1962. That January, the train he was riding derailed and plunged into an icy river. Seventeen passengers died. Selak survived.
A year later, in 1963, fate tested him again. The door of the plane he was on blew off mid-flight, sucking Selak out into the open sky. He plummeted - only to land in a haystack near a farm. The 19 passengers who stayed aboard weren’t so fortunate.
Three years later, in 1966, disaster struck again. The bus Selak was riding veered off a mountain road and crashed into a river. Four people drowned. Selak swam to safety.
For four years, life was quiet. Then in 1970, death came knocking once more. Driving his car, Selak watched in horror as the engine burst into flames. He escaped seconds before the vehicle exploded. Three years later, in 1973, his new car caught fire after a faulty fuel pump sprayed hot oil. His hair was singed - but his head was spared.
Fast forward to 1995: Selak was hit by a bus while crossing a street in Zagreb. He walked away with minor injuries. And in 1996, he narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a United Nations truck. Swerving off the road, he leapt from his car and tumbled into a ravine - saved by a tree that broke his fall.
The lottery win that sealed his legend
Selak’s life reads like a Hollywood script, but it needed one final twist. In 2003, just two days after his 74th birthday, he won the equivalent of around $1 million in the lottery. After decades of near-death experiences, fortune finally smiled in the most spectacular way.
Selak passed away on November 30, 2016, leaving behind a story that continues to fascinate the world - a tale of survival, serendipity, and sheer improbability.
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