Buzz
“Death -oh- Death”. Let’s all sing it together. The final call will come for each of us someday, without exception. Few will have the foresight to know the exact time, place, or manner of its arrival. Death has a knack for sneaking up unexpectedly, leaving some in shock or claiming the unsuspecting. It can bring chaos and anguish or a peaceful passage into the unknown. Occasionally, it even overlooks what seems like an inevitable target. Below are ten astonishing yet true stories of people who outsmarted death. Some of these survivors are still alive today (as of this writing). Here are some of my top picks, in no specific order.
10. Isidro Mejia
Today, he’s free of nails, but back in 2004, Mejia was working on a rooftop construction project when he took a fall. While the fall itself wasn’t fatal, the six -inch nails that accidentally pierced his neck and skull should have been. Miraculously, he survived because the nails narrowly missed his brain stem and spinal cord.
9. Richard Blass
In 1968, the first mafia attempt on this Canadian gangster occurred. Two assassins entered a bar where he was having drinks. Despite being shot at multiple times, Blass managed to escape unharmed.
Two weeks later, the mafia located Blass at a motel called “Le Manoir de Plaisance” in a Montreal suburb. The motel was set ablaze, resulting in three fatalities, but Blass survived the fire. Police investigations confirmed the fire was caused by arson.
In October, Richard Blass was shot in the head and back during an ambush in a garage with his partner. They escaped by driving through the garage door. Blass was hospitalized to treat his injuries.
In January 1969, a failed bank robbery and the shooting of a police officer landed Blass in jail. During the first year of his four consecutive ten-year sentences, he managed to escape. After being captured and imprisoned again, he escaped a second time. Fueled by rage, he tracked down and killed two accomplices who had testified against him in a bar. He locked everyone else inside and set the bar on fire. Three days later, Blass met his end when he was shot 23 times.
Throughout his life, Blass earned the nickname “The Cat” due to his uncanny ability to cheat death.
8. Ahad Israfil
“I try to appreciate things a lot more. You never know when your last moment might be.” In 1987, a gun accidentally discharged, blowing away half of 14-year-old Israfil’s brain. Despite this, he survived and later graduated with honors.
Doctors successfully filled the gap in his skull with a silicone block. “The skin flap was stretched over it, and his hair grew back, giving him a nearly normal appearance.” Cranioplasty was used to perfect the reconstruction, as described by the Dayton Daily News.
7. Vesna Vulovic
On January 26, 1972, 22-year-old flight attendant Vesna Vulovic found herself plummeting 33,000 feet to the ground without a parachute. JAT Flight JU 367 had been flying over Srbska-Kamenice (now part of the Czech Republic) when an explosion occurred. The terrorist group Croatian National Movement was blamed for the incident, which claimed all lives except Vulovic’s. Miraculously, she survived with a fractured skull, two broken legs, and three broken vertebrae, which temporarily paralyzed her from the waist down. After surgery, she regained the use of her legs and occasionally continues to fly. She holds the Guinness World Record for the highest freefall survival.
6. Ludger Sylbaris
A day prior to the Pelee eruption, Sylbaris found himself confined in a solitary cell, partially submerged underground with stone walls. The only ventilation came from a narrow grate on the door, which was positioned away from Pelee. His cell, being the most fortified structure in the city, ultimately became his salvation.
As the eruption unfolded, darkness enveloped the area. Despite Sylbaris's attempts to block the door by soaking his clothes in urine and stuffing them into the grate, scorching air mixed with fine ash seeped into his cell. The intense heat, though brief, left severe burns on his hands, arms, legs, and back. Fortunately, his clothing did not catch fire, and he managed to avoid inhaling the deadly hot air.
The city was devastated by superheated steam, volcanic gases, and dust, with temperatures soaring above 1000 °C. Buildings were leveled, and the entire population perished from burns or suffocation. During my visit to the stunning island of Martinique in 1989, I saw the still-standing jail cell. While Sylbaris was often cited as the sole survivor, records suggest there was at least one other man and possibly two children who also survived.
5. Shannon Malloy
Shannon Malloy survived a horrific car accident that resulted in an internal decapitation, where her skull detached from her spine, severing all connecting ligaments and tendons. She underwent multiple surgeries, including one to fuse her skull to her spinal cord. The trauma caused nerve damage, leading to crossed eyes and impaired speech. Additionally, her pelvis and ankle were severely fractured, but repairs had to wait until the swelling in her brain and spinal cord subsided (Associated Content).
4. Roy C. Sullivan
The likelihood of being struck by lightning once is incredibly low, and being struck twice on separate occasions seems almost impossible. Yet, what are the odds of being struck by lightning seven times? Roy Sullivan, the world record holder, experienced these strikes as follows:
1942 – Sullivan experienced his first lightning strike while stationed in a lookout tower. The bolt struck his leg, causing him to lose a toenail on his big toe. 1969 – The second strike occurred as he was driving on a mountain road. The bolt knocked him unconscious and singed his eyebrows. 1970 – The third incident happened in his front yard, leaving his left shoulder burned. 1972 – The fourth strike took place in a ranger station, igniting his hair. From then on, he carried a pitcher of water for safety. 1973 – A fifth bolt struck him on the head, throwing him out of his car and setting his hair ablaze again. 1974 – The sixth strike injured his ankle while he was in a campground. 1977 – The seventh and final strike occurred while he was fishing, resulting in burns on his chest and stomach that required hospitalization.
His iconic “lightning hats” are now showcased in Guinness World Exhibit Halls in New York and South Carolina.
3. Phineas Gage
On September 13, 1848, Gage, a railway worker, was preparing a hole with gunpowder, inserting a fuse and sand, and compacting it with a large tamping iron. The gunpowder exploded, propelling the iron rod through his left cheekbone and out the top of his skull. The rod was later found 30 yards away. Remarkably, Gage was walking minutes after the accident. However, he soon developed a brain infection, and weeks later, 8 fluid ounces of pus were drained from an abscess under his scalp. The damage to his frontal cortex caused a loss of social inhibitions, leading to erratic behavior. He became unrecognizable to friends and family. Today, his skull and the iron rod are exhibited at Boston’s Warren Anatomical Museum.
Contributor: Diogenes
2. Ben Carpenter
Ben Carpenter, a 21-year-old wheelchair user, experienced an unexpected ordeal when he was accidentally lifted by a semi-truck while crossing the street in Paw Paw. His wheelchair became lodged in the truck’s grill, and he was carried for 4 miles at 50 mph. The driver, unaware of Carpenter crossing during a red light, resumed driving when the light turned green. Reflecting on the media frenzy that followed, Carpenter remarked, “I realized I’d never want to be a Hollywood celebrity. Dealing with cameras and constant attention was overwhelming. It was fine for a short time, but a couple of days was more than enough.” (Kalamazoo Gazette)
1. Ann Hodges
In 1954, in Sylacauga, Alabama, Ann Hodges was resting on her living room couch when a meteoroid the size of a grapefruit smashed through her roof. It bounced off a large wooden console radio before hitting her arm and hip, leaving her with severe bruises but still able to walk. The Air Force quickly arrived and confiscated the meteorite. Her husband, Eugene, enlisted a lawyer to reclaim it, while their landlord also staked a claim, hoping to sell it to cover roof repairs. After more than a year, the meteorite was returned to Ann and Eugene, but by then, public interest had waned, and they struggled to find a buyer for the 8.5-pound chondrite. Despite her husband’s objections, Ann donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where it remains on display today.
