People Who Survived "Unsurvivable" Accidents

Surviving what most would call an "unsurvivable" accident instantaneously creates a twisted tale of fate everyone wants to hear. It’s not every day someone survives an accident such as an impaling to the head or getting cut in half by a train. Some people, including the survivors in the stories listed below, prove they serve a greater purpose in life; they survived for a reason.

An Industrial Drill Rammed Into His Skull

One day in 2003, construction worker Ron Hunt had an 18-inch long, 1.5” thick industrial drill forced into his skull after a fall while working on a project in Truckee, CA.

A ladder Hunt had been standing on lost placement, sending him falling to the ground as he held onto the drill. He tried tossing the drill as he fell, but it landed on the ground moments before his head fell directly onto the tool.

Hunt survived the accident and miraculously, did not suffer any traumatic brain injury since the drill pushed his brain tissue to the side of his head. Hunt sustained a serious eye injury caused by a surgeon who removed the drill through his eye.

She Survived Getting Stuck in the Middle of a Storm

Ewa Wiśnierska was a 35-year-old paraglider when she set out for an adventure in Australia in 2007. Wiśnierska chose the worst time to paraglide, a vicious storm swept through the area. The 50 mph winds sucked her into the vortex some 32,000+ feet in the air -higher than Mt. Everest- for more than an hour.

The cold -40-degree temperatures caused instantaneous hypothermia, although she didn’t feel a thing since she had passed out due to a lack of oxygen, another problem at such high elevations. As lightning lit up Wiśnierska’s body and thunder roared around her, she floated in the wind.

Experts say Wiśnierska's heart rate and bodily functions slowed down when she passed out, likely helping to save her life.

He Was Cut in Half by a Train

In 2006, Truman Duncan was working at the nail yards at a train station when he fell from a moving train in Cleburne, TX. As Duncan fell, he attempted to throw himself backward to avoid getting crushed, although he fell, trapping himself underneath the train. The 9,000 kg metal train crushed Duncan, destroying much of his middle and lower body. He remained conscious throughout the ordeal and even used his cell phone to call for emergency help.

It took 23 operations over four months to treat Duncan’s injuries. In the end, Duncan lost his left leg, most of the right leg, his pelvis, and a kidney, but he is alive, and really, that’s all that matters.

She Survived 80 Minutes Submerged in Freezing Water

Anna Bagenholm worked as an orthopedic surgeon in 1999. The avid skier from Sweden nearly died this year while skiing in Norway after a fall headfirst onto a frozen lake that sent her through an open gap in the water. She became trapped underneath a block of ice about 20 meters thick.

Bagenholm found an air pocket that she used to breathe. The old temperatures sent her into circulatory arrest after about 40 minutes in the frozen water as her body temperature dropped to as low as 56.6 degrees F.

A team of 100 medics at a local hospital spent nine hours working to bring Bagenholm back to life. She spent an additional two months recovering from paralysis, but eventually made a full recovery.

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