The Luckiest Unlucky Man: The Extraordinary Life of Frane Selak

On a cold January morning in 1962, 32-year-old Croatian Frane Selak was minding his own business when suddenly his train derailed. Disconnected from the rest of the train, his train car plunged down a narrow canyon and into an icy river. Desperately fighting to escape the sinking train car, Selak made his way to the shore before being pulled to safety by a bystander. While 17 other people drowned in that tragic accident, Selak suffered nothing more than a broken arm and hypothermia.

Yet this was the day life would take a strange turn for Selak, throwing the mild-mannered music teacher into a curious roller coaster of fate. Here's the extraordinary life of Frane Selak, the luckiest unlucky man in the world!

Prior to his train accident, Frane Selak led a quiet and unassuming life as a local music teacher. It seemed, though, that life had other plans for him - plans that involved brushes with death and unbelievable luck. Miraculously escaping death in his train accident, Selak counted his lucky stars and continued about his life, chalking up the incident to a stroke of bad luck.

But one year later, Selak's mother fell ill. Gravely concerned, Selak, who had always been too nervous to fly, immediately booked a plane ticket from Zagreb to Rijeka. Despite his fears, Selak found himself on board the plane. Minutes before landing, however, a terrifying event unfolded. The rear door of the aircraft suddenly blew open, sucking Selak and the flight attendant out of the airplane. Plunging to a certain death, Selak miraculously survived by landing in a haystack with minor injuries.

Two brushes with death are enough for a single lifetime, but fate wasn't done with Selak. Four years later, he was commuting on a local bus when it skidded into a river. Once more plunged into icy waters, Selak managed to swim free of the sinking vehicle and make his way to safety, suffering only cuts and bruises. Unfortunately, four other riders lost their lives.

Perhaps deterred from public transportation, Selak purchased a car of his own. However, his misfortune seemed to follow him. His vehicle burst into flames and exploded in 1970, but Selak managed to escape with minor wounds. Three years later, another car he owned caught fire and exploded, causing him minor burns. These repeated accidents left Selak questioning his own luck and the forces at play.

Despite these incredible experiences, life had more in store for Selak. In 1995, he was hit by a bus while walking on a street in Zagreb but survived with relatively few injuries. A year later, he was forced off a mountain road when an oncoming UN truck barreled down a narrow path. Selak swerved to avoid the collision, sending his car plunging off the mountain ledge. Miraculously, he managed to grab onto a tree branch and save himself as his car crashed below.

As if to make up for his incredible streak of bad luck, Selak caught a break in 2003 when he won a million-dollar lottery. Interviewed by several international publications, Selak reflected on his life, saying, "You could look at it two ways - I was either the unluckiest man in the world, or the luckiest. I preferred to believe the latter."

However, Selak's remarkable experiences took a toll on his personal life. Friends and acquaintances became hesitant to be near him or travel with him, attributing their caution to his supposed "bad karma." Despite doubts and inconsistencies surrounding some of his claims, Selak's reputation as the unluckiest lucky man in the world remained. Whether his stories were entirely accurate or embellished with time, the fact remains that Selak experienced a series of astonishing events that tested his resilience and belief in luck.

So, what do you think about Selak's life? Is it too incredible to be true? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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