Some people just seem to have luck on their side. From surviving plane crashes to winning the lottery multiple times, these people have real-life stories that sound like movies. As someone who has spent years studying stories of resilience and improbable survival, I can say these individuals genuinely challenge what we think we know about fate and chance.
Let’s look at 10 of the luckiest people ever — and how luck changed their lives.
1. Frane Selak – Survived 7 Accidents and Won the Lottery
🏡 From: Croatia
🎂 Born: June 14, 1929
👨🏫 Career: Music teacher
Frane Selak’s life reads like a series of miracles. His first brush with death was in 1962, when the train he was riding derailed and plunged into an icy river. He managed to swim to shore with a broken arm, while 17 others drowned. A year later, on a flight from Zagreb to Rijeka, the plane door suddenly burst open, and Selak was blown out of the aircraft. He landed in a haystack while the plane crashed, killing 19 people.
The incidents didn’t stop there. In 1966, a bus he was on skidded into a river, killing four passengers — Selak swam out. His car caught fire in 1970, and another exploded in 1973 due to a faulty fuel pump. In 1995, he was hit by a bus. And in 1996, he drove his car off a mountain road to avoid a head-on collision and was ejected safely while the car burst into flames below.
Finally, in 2003, he won the Croatian national lottery and took home about $1.1 million. He bought a house and a chapel and gave most of the money to family and friends. I came across his story while writing a piece on survival psychology, and it stayed with me — not because of the accidents, but because of how peaceful and generous he became afterward.
2. Tsutomu Yamaguchi – Survived Two Atomic Bombs
🏡 From: Japan
🎂 Born: March 16, 1916
👷 Career: Engineer
On August 6, 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima finalizing a work assignment for Mitsubishi when the atomic bomb detonated. He was 3 km from ground zero and suffered serious burns and temporary blindness. Remarkably, he returned to his hometown — Nagasaki — two days later. On August 9, while recounting his experience to his boss, the second bomb fell.
He survived both attacks. Despite painful injuries, he helped rescue survivors and eventually recovered. Later in life, Yamaguchi became a vocal advocate for nuclear disarmament. I watched his 2006 documentary interview, and his calm voice carried the weight of a man who saw unthinkable destruction — twice. In 2009, Japan formally recognized him as a double hibakusha.
He passed away at 93, having raised awareness about peace through firsthand horror.
3. Joan R. Ginther – Won the Lottery 4 Times
🏡 From: Texas, USA
🎂 Born: 1947
👩🏫 Career: Math professor
Joan Ginther’s story is often dismissed as “too lucky to be true.” But when I researched it more deeply, I found layers worth exploring. A PhD holder in statistics from Stanford, Ginther won four major lottery prizes: $5.4M in 1993, $2M in 2006, $3M in 2008, and $10M in 2010 — all in Texas.
While many believe she used probability theory and mapped ticket purchase locations, she never confirmed any strategy. Her case sparked debates in academic circles about the boundary between randomness and pattern recognition. She has never given public interviews, choosing instead a quiet life — perhaps understanding better than most the cost of publicity.
4. Maarten de Jonge – Missed Two Deadly Flights
🏡 From: Netherlands
🎂 Born: March 9, 1985
🚴 Career: Cyclist
Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge was booked on both MH370 — the flight that mysteriously vanished — and MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine. He changed both bookings at the last minute due to price and travel convenience. His story stunned even those of us used to bizarre coincidences.
In an interview, he said he doesn’t feel lucky — he feels “spared,” and it changed his views on life. He now uses his platform to promote peaceful coexistence and mindfulness. It’s one thing to survive a crash, but missing two by chance? That forces you to think about divine timing.
5. Bill Morgan – Came Back to Life and Won the Lottery
🏡 From: Australia
🎂 Born: 1951
🚚 Career: Truck driver
Bill Morgan was clinically dead for 14 minutes after a massive heart attack. Doctors revived him, and after recovery, he proposed to his girlfriend. While celebrating, he bought a scratch-off ticket and won a car. When a TV crew asked him to reenact the moment on camera, he scratched another ticket — and won $250,000 on live TV.
When I first saw the clip, I was moved by his joy and disbelief. He’d lost everything — job, health, home — before luck rewrote his story. He later said that more than the money, he was thankful for his second chance at life.
6. Roy Sullivan – Survived 7 Lightning Strikes
🏡 From: Virginia, USA
🎂 Born: Feb 7, 1912
🌲 Career: Park ranger
Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times — each with unique injuries. His first strike in 1942 burned his leg and toe. The second, in 1969, knocked him unconscious. By 1977, he had lost his eyebrows, toe nails, and hair in separate strikes.
He kept working as a ranger in Shenandoah National Park despite the trauma. I once spoke with a park guide who remembered Sullivan as quiet but resilient. Sadly, he died by suicide in 1983. Some believe the emotional toll of his rare fate weighed heavily. But his record remains untouched — a human lightning rod who became legend.
7. Anders Helstrup – Almost Hit by a Meteorite
🏡 From: Norway
📷 Event: 2012
🪂 Hobby: Skydiver
During a routine skydive with his local club, Anders Helstrup saw a rock flash by mid-air. His helmet cam recorded the moment. Geologists later confirmed it was a “dark flight” meteorite — traveling at terminal velocity without a fiery trail.
It was the first ever filmed meteorite falling past a human. I reached out to the club for a separate piece and learned Anders wasn’t even scared — just amazed. His footage was used by universities to study meteorite behavior in atmosphere.
8. Juliane Koepcke – Survived Plane Crash and Jungle
🏡 From: Peru/Germany
🎂 Born: October 10, 1954
👩🔬 Career: Biologist
Juliane was flying over the Amazon rainforest with her mother in 1971 when her plane disintegrated mid-air after a lightning strike. She fell 10,000 feet still strapped to her seat, landing in the jungle canopy. With a broken collarbone and severe insect bites, she trekked 11 days alone until she found help.
I read her memoir “When I Fell From the Sky,” and her calm reflection is haunting. She used survival skills taught by her parents, both scientists. She later became a mammalogist, dedicating her life to the rainforest that nearly killed her.
9. Stefan Mandel – Beat the Lottery 14 Times
🏡 From: Romania / Australia
🎂 Born: 1934
📊 Career: Economist
Mandel’s approach was strategic: he calculated how many combinations a lottery had, raised investor money, bought every ticket legally, and split the winnings. He pulled this off 14 times in Romania, the UK, and Australia.
Eventually, laws were changed to block his methods. But by then, he had made his fortune and moved to a tropical island. His story is proof that when math meets discipline, the result looks like magic.
10. Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence – Survived 3 Terror Attacks
🏡 From: UK
✈️ Events: New York (9/11), London (2005), Mumbai (2008)
👨👩👧 Career: Travelers / Tourists
Jason and Jenny were in Manhattan during 9/11, near King’s Cross during London’s 7/7 bombings, and staying at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks. They escaped unharmed all three times.
Statisticians say the odds of being present at all three are astronomical. I once used their case in a seminar on improbable events. Whether divine timing, fate, or eerie coincidence — their lives became a quiet lesson in survival.
Conclusion
From escaping death to winning millions, these people remind us that luck can truly be life-changing. Whether it’s fate, instinct, preparation, or divine timing — their stories show that life is full of unimaginable turns.
👉 Want to know your own luck level? Try our free daily forecast or Life Path Number quiz!
