In the complex interplay of fate and fortune, some individuals have found themselves on both sides of the luck spectrum.
From narrowly escaping death to surviving unimaginable disasters, these people have experienced more than their fair share of good and bad luck. Their stories are not just about survival; they are about overcoming insurmountable odds.
Here, we explore the lives of the top 10 luckiest unlucky people whose fortunes nearly killed them.
Robert Evans- A Rollercoaster of Fate
In 2008, Robert Evans’ life was already shrouded in misfortune as he lived in a homeless encampment outside Boulder, Colorado. His bad luck took a sharp turn when he was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle while riding his bike.
Though the crash was minor, it sent him to the hospital. But fate had a twisted sense of humor. On his way back to the camp, walking along a narrow railroad bridge, Evans was struck by a passing train.
Miraculously, the impact sent him tumbling into a creek, and he was once again rushed to the hospital, the very same hospital he had visited just hours earlier. It was a bizarre evening: hit by a car and a train in one night.
Violet Jessup- The Woman Who Survived Three Disasters
Violet Jessup is known for being the unluckiest lucky woman in history. She was aboard three of the most infamous ships in maritime history: the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic.
Jessup had already survived a near-sinking of the Olympic after it collided with the HMS Hawke. Then, she was aboard the Titanic during its tragic sinking, where she not only survived but also cared for an infant on a lifeboat.
Her bad luck continued when she served aboard the Britannic, which struck a mine during World War I. Incredibly, Jessup survived yet again, suffering only a skull fracture. She lived to be 84, retiring from her maritime career after such harrowing experiences.
Matthew- A Survivor of Multiple Terror Attacks
Matthew’s tale is a tragic example of surviving not one, but two terrorist attacks. On September 11, 2001, Matthew was walking the streets of Manhattan when the Twin Towers were struck by hijacked planes.
He narrowly escaped the falling debris, but his encounter with danger didn’t stop there. In 2015, he found himself attending a concert at the Bataclan in Paris when terrorists attacked the venue.
Despite being shot in the leg, Matthew played dead and survived by inching toward safety, all while avoiding further gunfire. His luck, however, seemed to follow him wherever he went, as he would later encounter yet another terrorist event. It’s a miracle that he survived both.
Arthur John Priest- The Luckiest Sailor in History
Arthur John Priest’s career as a stoker, or “fireman,” on ships led him to an unimaginable series of near-death experiences. First, he survived the collision of the Olympic with another vessel.
The following year, he was transferred to the Titanic, where he miraculously escaped the ship’s sinking. As if fate had it out for him, Priest was aboard the Britannic when it was sunk by a mine during World War I, and then he survived another torpedo attack on the Donegal in 1917.
Priest’s extraordinary survival of multiple shipwrecks made him one of the luckiest unlucky individuals ever.
Roy Cleveland Sullivan- The Human Lightning Rod
Roy Cleveland Sullivan, a park ranger in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, holds the dubious record of surviving seven lightning strikes. His first strike occurred in 1942, and from then on, he was struck by lightning in 1969, 1970, and several other times throughout his career.
Though he survived each strike, he sustained injuries, including burns and lost body hair. Sullivan’s “luck” was so infamous that people avoided him out of fear of being struck by lightning themselves. Despite surviving the odds, the toll of his strange luck led to his tragic death by suicide in 1983.
Austin Hatch- A Survivor of Two Plane Crashes
Austin Hatch’s luck is a painful paradox. In 2003, he survived a plane crash that claimed the lives of his mother and two siblings. Eight years later, tragedy struck again. Hatch was in another plane crash with his father and stepmother.
This time, the crash left him with a traumatic brain injury and multiple serious injuries, including a punctured lung and a broken collarbone.
Hatch spent two months in a coma, but he defied the odds, recovering and going on to play basketball at the University of Michigan. His resilience and survival against impossible odds made him an inspiration to many.
Mason Wells- A Man Who Survived Multiple Terror Attacks
