There are times when, against all odds, luck is simply on our side.
We’ve all had lucky moments, but some people have managed to avoid certain disaster, thanks
to random good fortune.
Today, we’ll be looking at seven of the luckiest moments caught on camera.
Blind Spot
When train enthusiast Doug Obert traveled to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in 2011 to
shoot some documentary footage, he never imagined he’d capture an impossibly lucky moment
for one passenger.
Obert’s footage shows a CSX locomotive as it travels through a tunnel near the Harpers
Ferry station.
When he turns the camera to follow the train, Doug sees passengers waiting on the platform
for the approaching Capitol Limited.
One man is standing on the edge of the platform, too close to the tracks.
Thanks to the noise of the passing train, he isn’t aware of the Capitol Limited approaching
from behind.
The cameraman struggles to get the man’s attention as the locomotive is just seconds
from smashing into him.
Thankfully, amid the blaring of the train’s horn, the man hurries away from the edge with
only seconds to spare.
As Obert described on YouTube, “There was too much noise to yell, I frantically waved
my left arm back & forth and pointed with right arm at the oncoming train.
At the very last second, he noticed me waving & pointing.”
This near miss is a powerful reminder to always pay close attention to your surroundings.
From Above
In September 2015, a casual stroll through Riyadh, Saudi Arabia turned into an unforgettable
experience for one man.
CCTV footage shows the man on a leisurely walk during a sunny day.
He pauses for a moment on the empty sidewalk, checking his shoe to see if he’s stepped on something.
Moments later, he receives the shock of a lifetime.
An enormous pane of glass falls from the building just above the man, hitting the ground at
enormous speed and shattering just millimeters from his body.
His headscarf is knocked off, and he falls to the ground in shock, but miraculously,
the man is unhurt.
He gets up, clearly dazed, and wanders back in the direction he came from.
A nearby store owner reportedly invited the man inside after this harrowing incident.
If he’d stopped just a moment longer while checking his shoe, this lucky pedestrian may
not have survived the walk he took that day.
Christmas Near-Miss
On Christmas morning in 2019, a tow truck driver in Alaska experienced a holiday miracle
he’ll never forget.
Anchorage Police Officer Stephen Busby had responded to a call on the Seward Highway,
where a truck needed a tow.
His dashcam captured the moment the tow truck driver had an unbelievable near miss.
After Officer Busby walks back to his cruiser, the tow truck driver continues with his work.
As he kneels down to inspect the front wheel of the truck, he is completely unaware of
the danger approaching from the road ahead.
A white SUV rounding the highway corner suddenly slides out of control, fishtailing and heading
directly for the exposed tow truck driver, who has no idea.
The vehicle avoids crashing into him and the truck, but by mere inches.
Amazingly, the tow truck driver appears barely rattled by the incident, calmly walking away
from the spot where he was nearly killed only seconds before.
He and Officer Busby talk briefly, gazing after the speeding vehicle.
What could have been a fatal accident, fortunately resulted in no injuries.
Officer Busby didn’t pursue the SUV, opting to stay with the tow truck driver instead
to make sure he was alright.
A statement from the police department said, “Had any tiny variable been slightly different
in these 3 seconds, this could have been an incredibly tragic day.”
This was certainly an unforgettable Christmas for all involved.
Pedestrian Peril
In January 2020, 20-year-old boxer Zak McCabe was walking to the gym in Dover, England when
he narrowly escaped certain death.
CCTV footage shows McCabe strolling past a pizza shop, when suddenly, chaos erupts on the street.
An out-of-control car hits a parked vehicle, which soars off the pavement and strikes McCabe
on the side.
He is nearly crushed by the car as it slams past him and bounces off the building behind.
McCabe then stumbles into the pizza shop, completely in shock.
The lucky McCabe received only minor injuries, including blurry vision and a bump on the
head, as a result of the violent three-car collision.
The tote bag he was wearing over his shoulder appeared to cushion him from the body of the car.
Kent Police arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of theft, aggravated vehicle taking,
dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
McCabe said of the experience, "I looked straight up and there was a car in the air.
It all happened so quick…
How I’m here today, I don’t know.
I should have died.
Someone was looking over me.”
It certainly seems that way.
Inches from Disaster
In February 2020, a massive stroke of luck saved a young woman’s life.
In the town of Azov, in the south of Russia, the woman was captured on CCTV footage walking
near a bus stop, when her world turned upside down.
As she approaches the bus stop, the woman appears to lose her balance.
Her movements become more and more wobbly until she collapses backwards, into the road.
But just as the woman falls, a bus is hurtling down the street.
By all appearances, the woman is about to be run over.
But the wheels miss hitting her head, by an extremely narrow margin.
A fellow pedestrian and a driver stop to check on the woman as she struggles to her feet
after the terrifying incident.
It is believed that the woman became briefly light-headed before she fell.
It is truly amazing that she escaped this dangerous moment with her life.
Rapid Response
Luck was the hero of the hour on August 12, 2019 on a street in Guaíba, Brazil.
CCTV footage captured the moment when typical traffic turned into an emergency.
A line of cars is headed toward a stop sign.
When a small white sedan flashes its hazard lights, the vehicles behind begin to drive around it.
Among these vehicles is a firetruck, which will prove amazingly lucky.
Just as the firetruck passes the sedan, it catches fire!
As the driver and two passengers flee from the car, the firetruck is directly next to
it, and the firemen inside, instantly leap into action.
They’re able to put the fire out in less than a minute thanks to their unbelievable proximity.
What an amazing case of fortunate timing.
Quick Reflexes
On July 9, 2020, a mother from Alpharetta, Georgia planned on relaxing by the pool with
her kids.
But the experience turned out to be anything but relaxing.
Home security footage shows the woman reading in a lounge chair as her sons play together
in the water.
Suddenly, a large cracking noise is heard.
One of her children shouts, “Mom, run!” as a tree splits and falls into the pool area.
The mother leaps out of her chair and gets out of the tree’s path without a second to spare.
Once she’s safely out of the way, the woman stares in disbelief at the fallen tree that
would have landed right on top of her if she hadn’t moved.
She exclaims to her children, “Oh my God, I almost died!”
Her son’s warning and her own quick footing combined to avoid a tragedy for this very
lucky woman.
Did any of these incredibly lucky moments make your heart skip a beat?
Leave a comment and let us know which near-miss was your favorite.
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