The classic examples of good and bad luck are winning the lottery and being struck by lightning. In case you were wondering, you have about a 1 in 14 million chance of winning the lottery. As for being sruck by lightning, your chances are roughly 1 in 700,000.
We’ve all had a friend who seems like they get into a lot of sticky situations but always come out okay. Apparently, some people have a lucky gene. Those are the ones that find four-leaf clovers or a lucky lotto ticket.
And sometimes, they’re the ones that get really close to dying…but don’t.
More than likely, you’ve had a close call at one point or another. For most of us, it was minor stuff. Maybe you almost got into a fender bender but managed to stop just in time. Perhaps your older sibling bounced you off the trampoline but you fell onto something soft.
And then there are the people who get so impossibly lucky that it doesn’t make sense. Those are the individuals who make the news…or at least, the internet. They managed to escape with their lives by a hair. How are they still alive? We’ll never know.
1. Hope you got your tetanus shot
Walking in the woods, you’re bound to come across all kinds of weird stuff. This guy came upon a log with some rusty nails. Literally, he ran across it, almost piercing his shoe through to his foot.
2. They parked in the right spot during the hurricane
This car was parked here during a hurricane strong enough to rip trees out of the ground. Thankfully, it happened to be in a spot that just missed getting struck.
Imagine being a sports photographer who’s shooting a baseball game when a ball flies through the air and strikes your camera lens. You can literally see the shape of the stitching pattern on the ball. Thank goodness it wasn’t the photographer’s head.
Instagram/ric_fogel
This photo’s almost enough to make you feel a little sick to your stomach. Just a few inches in any direction and that car would’ve been tumbling straight down into the sinkhole.
A bird striking the wing isn’t as serious as one flying into the engines or propellers. But this plane is pretty small. The impact of the bird knocked them off balance for a minute.
This debris got so close to the driver it actually tore her shirt! I don’t think I need to explain the serious damage a spike like that could cause if it, you know…HIT YOU.
Yes, this photo is super scary, but don’t worry. The driver managed to escape not only with her life but without serious injuries. Talk about having your life flash before your eyes.
If this photo doesn’t send chills down your spine you, you’re stomach than most. This motorcyclist got into a wreck while going 70 miles per hour. The individual were launched through the air and hit a bus.
Most accidents are pretty self-explanatory, but this one just defies explanation. It’s absolutely terrifying to look at. Amazingly, the people who were in the car were able to get out.
10. These bullet holes show how close police officers were to being struck
Police officers are often in dangerous situations — it’s part of their job. But it’s still terrifying to see how close they came to death while chasing down a murder suspect.
Have you ever seen one of those signs on the side of the road that says “Danger: Falling Rocks”? Yeah, this is what they’re talking about, and it’s not pretty.
This is another great submission to the list of reasons to always wear a helmet. Those scratches are from sliding across the asphalt. Thankfully they’re on the helmet visor and not on a face.
If you’ve never seen a bog in action, you might not know just how deep they are. Ones like this in Ireland can be 10 feet deep, and they’re very good at pulling objects down. These people got a lucky break.
It’s everyone’s worst nightmare — getting stuck on the tracks as a train comes barreling through. Thankfully, this person was able to evacuate while the police managed to stop the train in time.
Can you say “Don’t risk it even once”? When you’re using power tools, you should wear safety gloves at all times. It’s the only way to get away with a shallow cut instead of a lost finger.
16. I don’t think this is the shot they were going for
These acrobats were going to take some Instagram-worthy photos on the beach. But they didn’t bank on the plane coming in for a landing being so close. It was so low that it almost hit them, which must have been terrifying.
17. If this doesn’t make your stomach turn, nothing will
This is a photo that can send chills down your spine. My guess is this driver slammed the gas pedal instead of the brakes. They nearly plunged down into a parking lot many stories below.
When storms and strong winds strike, it’s anybody’s guess what they’ll destroy. This car would’ve been crushed had it not been for a sagging electrical wire that happened to catch the falling tree branch.
The person wearing this helmet probably experienced a hard hit followed by a bit of a headache for the rest of the day. That definitely beats having an actual blade embedded in your skull.
Winter driving can be really nerve-wracking. There’s new snow, black ice, and poor visual conditions. These people just experienced why everyone hates driving when it’s cold outside.
I’m not trying to be flippant here — this person should actually meet with a counselor. Having a giant metal beam slice through your car is a recipe for PTSD. It’s also now my new nightmare.
What do you do when a tree crashes through the ceiling of your home? Well, you call professionals to get it cleared away. Then you take a cheeky selfie to make the best of the situation.
If you’ve driven a car, chances are you’ve had to slam on your brakes before. But you’ve never had to do it as hard as this driver did unless you were also trying to avoid driving off a bridge.
This is one of those freak accidents that technically couldn’t happen to any of us. But it’s so weird we all just pretend it won’t. Seriously, just imagine a tree falling through your bedroom ceiling.
I don’t know what I’m looking at here. Some kind of old rusty equipment seems to have crashed through the windshield of this car. But what I do know is that I never want this to happen to me.
What would you do if you almost drove your truck off of an unfinished road? I want to know how this happened and how on earth they managed to get the driver out.
Considering the size of this tack, there’s a good chance it would’ve gone straight through this person’s foot. Thankfully, they were wearing shoes thick enough to prevent it.
Forget bulletproof vests — if you’re in danger of getting shot, carry a phone in your pocket. This guy was lucky enough to stop a bullet with his cell phone.
Hanging here in the driver’s seat must’ve been an absolute nightmare. But I’m stumped as to how they got this person out. Note to self: never become a trucker.
This is a terrifying picture, and I’m sure it was a terrifying experience too. I know he managed to escape, but it makes me really nervous is that no one in this photo is helping him.
The classic examples of good and bad luck are winning the lottery and being struck by lightning. In case you were wondering, you have about a 1 in 14 million chance of winning the lottery. As for being sruck by lightning, your chances are roughly 1 in 700,000.
We’ve all had a friend who seems like they get into a lot of sticky situations but always come out okay. Apparently, some people have a lucky gene. Those are the ones that find four-leaf clovers or a lucky lotto ticket.
And sometimes, they’re the ones that get really close to dying…but don’t.
More than likely, you’ve had a close call at one point or another. For most of us, it was minor stuff. Maybe you almost got into a fender bender but managed to stop just in time. Perhaps your older sibling bounced you off the trampoline but you fell onto something soft.
And then there are the people who get so impossibly lucky that it doesn’t make sense. Those are the individuals who make the news…or at least, the internet. They managed to escape with their lives by a hair. How are they still alive? We’ll never know.
