Meet The Man Who Survived A Plane Crash, A Train Wreck, And A Car Explosion—And Won The Lottery Too!
Frano Selak’s story reminds us (even if tangentially) of Final Destination. A series of mishaps, one after the other. You’d think things couldn’t go more wrong, and yet they do. Selak’s life too had thrown him one too many curveballs, and if you’re the glass-half-full kind, you’ll consider him to be lucky. And for many others, his run-ins with near-death tragedies have made him somewhat of a legend.
It All Started With A Train Crash (1962)
Selak is a Croatian music teacher whose life sounds more like a blockbuster movie than a biography. Born in 1929, his first brush with death came in 1962. He was travelling by train through a cold, wet canyon when it suddenly derailed and plunged into a river. Seventeen people drowned. Frano, however, swam to safety with a broken arm and hypothermia.
A Year Later, He Was Sucked Out Of A Plane (1963)
In 1963, while flying from Zagreb to Rijeka, the plane on which Selak was travelling had its door blown open mid-flight. Frano was literally sucked out of the aircraft. Amazingly, he landed in a haystack. The plane crashed, killing 19 people. He however walked away with minor injuries.
Then Came The Bus Accident (1966)
Three years later, a bus he was riding in skidded off the road into a river. Four people drowned. Frano swam to shore again, unharmed.
And Then His Car Caught Fire (Twice)
In 1970, while driving, his car engine caught fire and exploded. He escaped just in time. In 1973, another one of his cars burst into flames, this time through the air vents. His hair was singed, but he survived once again.
A Truck Nearly Hit Him
In 1995, he was hit by a bus. He got up and walked away. And in 1996, he swerved to avoid a truck and flew out of his car, only to land in a tree as his car exploded 300 feet below.
This was his 7th Final Destination moment. But he survived this too. And, as if to reward his patience in life, something that we would really qualify as ‘lucky’ happened.
In 2003, He Won £600,000 In Lottery
In 2003, at the age of 73, Frano Selak won £600,000 (over ₹6 crore) in the lottery. According to Ripley, he bought a luxurious house, only to sell it in 2010 and return to a simple life with his fifth wife. At the age of 87, in 2016, Frano Selak passed away, but his run with ‘lady luck’ continue to survive in modern memory.
