The Luckiest Man That Ever Lived

Frane Selak was a man from Croatia who became famous all over the world because of his unbelievable story. People called him the world’s luckiest man and sometimes the unluckiest too. What made Frane Selak special was not just one event but a series of events. He survived several accidents that could have killed him, but somehow he came out alive every single time. His story is both shocking and inspiring and it makes many people wonder how someone could survive so many near-death experiences.

It all started in 1962 when Frane Selak was on a train journey. The train suddenly jumped off the tracks and fell into a cold river. Many people on the train drowned, but Frane managed to swim out and survive. He had a broken arm and some injuries, but he was alive. That was the first time death came close to him, but he escaped.

One year later in 1963, he was on an airplane for the first time. During the flight, something went wrong and the door of the plane opened in the air. Frane was thrown out of the plane. Strangely, he did not die. He fell into a haystack which saved his life. The plane crashed and many people died, but Frane walked away with only a few bruises.

Then in 1966, he was riding on a bus when the vehicle lost control and fell into a river. Again, some people died in the accident. But just like before, Frane managed to escape and swim to safety. It was already his third major accident and he had survived every single one.

In 1970, Frane was driving his car when it caught fire. Just before the car exploded, he jumped out and saved his life. He had a few burns but nothing serious. Then in 1973, another fire broke out in his car, this time through the air vents. His hair got burnt but he managed to stop the car and get out safely. It was hard to believe that someone could go through so much danger and still be alive.

In 1995, he was walking on the street in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, when a bus hit him. Once again, he survived. He was injured but not seriously. It seemed like he had a special kind of luck that protected him from death.

In 1996, he was driving in the mountains when his car suddenly lost control. It broke through a guardrail and fell off the cliff. But Frane was not in the car when it crashed. He had jumped out just in time and caught hold of a tree branch. The car crashed hundreds of feet below but Frane was left hanging on a tree. This was the seventh time he had faced death and survived.

After all these incidents, something very strange happened in 2003. Frane bought a lottery ticket for the Croatian national lottery. And he won. The prize was about one million euros. After surviving all those accidents, he suddenly became rich. He was already in his seventies at that time. He married his fifth wife and bought a few things for himself, including a boat and a house.

But Frane was not interested in living like a rich man. A few years after winning the money, he gave away most of it to his family and friends. He returned to a simple life in a small house. He said he was finally happy and did not need more. He also said that all those accidents helped him understand what was truly important in life.

Some people have questioned Frane Selak’s story. They say there is not enough proof for some of the accidents he talked about, especially the airplane incident. But Frane always told his story with honesty and confidence. He said he believed he was not the unluckiest man but the luckiest one because he survived everything and still got to live a good life.

Frane Selak died in 2016 at the age of eighty-seven. He left behind a story that sounds like a movie. Whether all the details are true or not, he became a symbol of human survival and hope. His life reminds us that even when things go wrong again and again, we should never give up. Life can always surprise us in the most unexpected ways.