Frane Selak’s story is a jaw-dropping blend of luck, misfortune, and resilience. Dubbed the "luckiest unlucky man" by some and the "unluckiest lucky man" by others, Selak’s life reads like a script for a high-octane action film. From surviving catastrophic accidents to winning a big lottery, his journey has captivated and mystified people around the globe. 


Though there is skepticism surrounding his claims in the absence of official records of some of the incidents he has mentioned, Frane Selak's survival stories are legendary and made him worthy of being featured in Ripley's Believe It Or Not!


Born in Croatia in 1929, Selak has lived a modest life as a music teacher. His quiet existence was shattered in 1962 when a train journey turned into the first chapter of his unbelievable survival saga.


A Train To Nowhere


The year was 1962, and Selak was reportedly aboard a train traveling from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik. Disaster struck when the train derailed and plunged into a frigid river. Seventeen lives were tragically lost, yet Selak emerged alive, though battered with a broken arm and hypothermia, he claimed. This brush with death set the tone for what would become an almost mythological string of calamities.


A Flight To Remember


Just a year later, in 1963, Selak reportedly boarded a plane from Zagreb to Rijeka. Mid-flight, the unthinkable happened: a door malfunctioned, and the aircraft began to break apart. While 19 passengers perished in the crash, Selak claimed he was ejected from the plane and landed safely on a haystack. His miraculous survival left him shaken but alive.


The Bus That Plunged


In 1966, Selak found himself once again at the mercy of fate. This time, he was reportedly on a bus that skidded off the road and into a river. Four passengers drowned, but Selak swam to safety, escaping yet another tragedy relatively unharmed.


Fire And Flames


The 1970s brought a series of fiery car incidents. In 1970, Selak’s car burst into flames while he was driving, but he managed to escape just before the vehicle exploded. Then, in 1973, a faulty fuel pump caused gasoline to spray inside his car, igniting another fire. Despite being singed, Selak lived to tell the tale.


Hit And Run — And Another Escape


Decades later, in 1995, Selak faced another life-threatening situation when a Zagreb bus struck him. While many would have been incapacitated by such an incident, Selak walked away with minor injuries. And then, in 1996, he narrowly avoided death when a truck forced his car off a mountain road. He leapt out moments before the car tumbled into a gorge and exploded.


How Many Of Frane Selak’s Claims Are True?


Though Ripley's has featured Selak on its website, dedicating to him an article titled 'Luckiest Or Unluckiest Man In The World?', it specifies that not all his legendary survival stories are verified. Official records of some incidents, like the plane crash in 1963, are sparse, and details in his accounts sometimes shift. Some argue that his tales are embellished, while others believe they are a testament to human resilience and sheer luck.


The Final Twist: A £600,000 Lottery


In a karmic twist, Lady Luck finally smiled on Selak in 2003 when he won a Croatian lottery. The jackpot, equivalent to £600,000 (nearly Rs 5 crore according to 2003 exchange rates), allowed him to purchase a luxurious home. He, however, sold the property in 2010 and returned to a simpler life with his fifth wife, Katarina.


“All I need at my age is my Katarina,” Selak famously said, as quoted by Ripley's. “Money would not change anything…"


No matter the twists and turns of his incredible journey, Selak’s story concludes on a positive note. He used the remainder of his lottery winnings to fund a hip operation and to build a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, expressing gratitude for the remarkable fortune that has defined his life.