Imagine surviving a train plunging into a freezing river, being sucked out of a crashing airplane, and escaping exploding cars, only to win a massive lottery jackpot decades later. This is the narrative surrounding Frano Selak, a Yugoslav music teacher who became internationally famous for an extraordinary sequence of death-defying events.
Born in 1929 in Dubrovnik, Selak captured the world’s attention with his tales of survival. However, a closer look at the actual records reveals a complex web of varying details, missing archives, and accusations of elaborate fabrication.
Tales of Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
According to Selak, his encounters with disaster began in 1957 when a bus he rode crashed into a river. In 1962, he reported surviving a train derailment into the Neretva river that drowned 17 passengers.
The most dramatic account involved a 1963 airplane crash. Selak stated he was sucked out of a malfunctioning emergency door, falling 800 meters into a haystack, while 19 others perished. Later accounts included escaping two burning vehicles, surviving being struck by a bus, and driving off a mountain cliff to avoid a United Nations truck.
A Million-Dollar Lottery Win
The international spotlight hit Selak after a highly publicized financial windfall. In the early 2000s, just days after his birthday, he won a lottery prize worth approximately €900,000. Following the massive payout, he married for the fifth or sixth time and purchased properties, including a weekend house and coastal apartments.
In 2004, he starred in an Australian television commercial for Doritos, filmed in Croatia, where he recounted his survival stories. Yet, by 2010, Selak decided to give away the majority of his remaining wealth to friends, family, and local schools, choosing to live off his modest military pension.
The Search for Missing Archives
While his stories generated global headlines, independent verification proved impossible. Journalists and investigators searching Croatian and international archives found zero official records matching the 1962 train derailment or the 1963 plane crash.
Selak defended his stories by stating that official documents were destroyed in fires during the Yugoslav Wars. However, inconsistencies continually appeared in his interviews. A man identifying himself as Selak’s son later claimed his father entirely invented the extreme survival stories to gain fame, stating he had paid a journalist to spread the narrative to foreign correspondents.
A Frugal End in Croatia
Despite the intense scrutiny, Selak maintained his accounts until his death. After experiencing a heart attack in 2014, he expressed frustration over a viral animated video depicting his life, complaining about inaccuracies and the lack of financial compensation.
He spent his final years living frugally in Petrinja, Croatia. In late 2016, at the age of 87, the music teacher passed away.