- [Narrator] Sometimes it seems like luck just isn't on our side. But when the unthinkable happens, you'd be amazed to discover just how fortunate some people can be. From nauseating free falls
to freak weather accidents, here's some of the luckiest people who survived the impossible. (soft music) Number 10, Natalya Pasternak. One summer's afternoon in June, 2015, 55 year old Natalya Pasternak and her 80 year old friend
Valentina Gorodetskaya we're walking through the Siberian forest collecting birch saps unaware that this was a trip they might never have returned from. The pair had unknowingly crossed the path of a huge brown bear which made an initial
beeline for Valentina's dog before turning its attention
to the mother of two Natalya. After attempting to
separate the wild animal from her friend by
hitting it with a stick, Valentina ran to find help leaving Natalya to face the jaws of death. During the hour long ordeal, the bear assumed that it's
now-mauled prey was finally dead and began burying the
Natalya with earth and leaves in order to eat her later. Eventually police arrived on the scene and noticed that the part-exposed
woman was still breathing and with no other options,
they shot the bear and unearthed Natalya who later
fully recovered in hospital. Despite being buried alive and intended as a brown bear's next meal, Natalya Pasternak lived to
tell the terrifying tale and even posted an update
on her social media with the caption "life is beautiful". Number nine, Phineas Gage. The case of Phineas Gage is
quite literally mind-blowing. On September 13th, 1848, then 25-year-old Gage was
working as the foreman of a crew, preparing a railroad
near Cavendish, Vermont. When disaster struck. He was using an iron tamping rod to pack explosive powder into a hole. When the powders suddenly detonated sending the 43 inch log
1.25 inch diameter rod hurdling upward. The rod penetrated Gage's left cheek, tearing through his brain and exiting through the back of his skull where it landed 80 feet away. Remarkably, Gage was able
to walk to a nearby cart to alert a co-worker who
rushed him to a doctor where the physician was astonished to find his patient conscious
and able to communicate. Despite losing sight in his left eye, Gage was able to leave
his house within a month and could even recount exactly when and how the accident happened, but it wasn't long until
those closest to him noticed something wrong. His well-mannered
disposition had been replaced by an unheard of aggression
and lack of social decorum. And family and friends claimed
he was no longer himself. Studies carried out in 2012, concluded that the injury had destroyed around 11% of white matter
in Gage's frontal lobe and 4% of his cerebral cortex causing irreversible damage
to his rational processing. To this day, Gage is remembered as one of the most famous
patients in neuroscience. Number eight, Casey Wagner. They say lightning never strikes twice but one man learned the hard way that famous phrases should
know is be taken as fact. In October, 2013, 31 year old Casey Wagner was attending an annual
off-road event in St. Jo Texas called Rednecks with Paychecks. When storm clouds began rolling in above. While waiting for a friend
to return from the toilet, Wagner sought shelter under a tree, a mistake, which would cost him dearly. By the time he noticed electrical sparks splintering off the tree
trunk, it was already too late. Casey was suddenly struck by lightning and before he could hit the ground as second bolt struck his work boots, sending electricity shooting
up through his body. Luckily a passing nurse rushed to his aid and kept him conscious while they waited for paramedics
to arrive at the scene. Astonishingly after just
one night in observation, Casey was released with no major injuries and doctors claimed he
was a living miracle. The chances of being struck
by lightning in the US are around one in 750,000. So Casey Wagner was
incredibly lucky to survive a double strike. One thing is for sure though, he won't be standing under any more trees during bad weather. Number seven, Sum Bora. In August, 2018, one man beat all odds
by surviving four days in the Cambodian jungle with no food, water or means of escape. Oh, and did I mention he was
wedged between two giant rocks? 28 year old Sum Bora had been scouring the Chakrai Mountain jungle
in the north-western province of Battamburg in search of bat droppings or guano to sell his valuable fertilizer. When his torch fell to
a small rocky hollow, bending down to retrieve it, Bora slipped and fell
into the narrow crevice between the rocky terrain
below where he became wedged in the rockface for four agonizing days. Eventually his worried
brother discovered him and alerted the authorities who took this unbelievable
photo from above before beginning a painstaking
operation to free the man. It took 200 rescues around 10 hours to cut away the parts of the
rock which had trapped him before he was taken to a
provincial hospital to recover. The Cambodian police chief has since declared Chakrai
Mountain prohibited for climbing. And despite being dangerously
weak shortly after the ordeal Sum Bora has thankfully
returned to full health making him one possibly lucky man. Number six, Christine McKenzie. Skydiving is a thrill for some, but for many others the idea
of falling through the sky is a total nightmare. Even when there's a parachute involved. When then 23 three-year-old
Christine McKenzie prepared for her 112th
skydive in August, 2004, she had no idea that it
would be any different from her other successful attempts. As a seasoned skydiver,
McKenzie was unfazed as she began her 11,000 foot descent until it was time to prepare for landing and her parachute failed to open. Trying not to panic, she pulled on the corner
of her emergency chute but the line got tangled and she hurdled towards the ground in
a 45 second free fall before smashing into
a set of power cables. By absorbing most of the
energy from her fall, the power lines had
saved Mackenzie's life. And when she was admitted to hospital, she suffered only a broken pelvis. Skydiving instructor Vana Gulliver was astounded to find her alive and claimed that a reserve
parachute malfunction is basically unheard of. Despite her ordeal, McKenzie even announced
from her hospital bed, she was determined to jump again. Number five, Greg Rasmussen. Greg Rasmussen is an
animal conservationist who came a little too close for comfort when some of the fiercest predators in the African bush back in 2003 Rasmussen had boarded
his single engine plane over Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe in search of endangered rhinos. When he lost control during intense winds and crashed into the Plains below. After quickly realizing
that he'd broken both legs, Rasmussen was able to drag himself to a nearby tree to seek shelter. But his nightmare was far from over. The impact had de-tuned his radio, so any mayday calls went unheard. And he soon realized he
would have to wait it out in the wilderness. Vulnerable and exposed,
Rasmussen became an easy and appealing meal for nearby predators. And as vultures began to circle, a stampede of elephants
headed towards the wreckage. Thinking fast, Rasmussen
beat the aluminum hull of his aircraft with a
stick, which scared them off. And he repeated the same trick after identifying the
chilling call of a lioness as dusk set in. After surviving the night and fending off a hungry
hyena with his drumming, Rasmussen was found and rescued. And after some 100 operations, some use in his legs was restored and he is now three inches shorter. Number four, Truman Duncan. Becoming known as the
miracle man is no easy feat, but 40 year old Truman
Duncan definitely deserves such a title after surviving
being cut clean in half. In June, 2006, Truman was working at
Greenbrier Rail Service in Cleburne, Texas, when he fell between a pair of
moving railroad freight cars and found himself fighting for his life. After hanging onto the car for 20 seconds, Truman was caught beneath the
wheel supporting 20,000 pounds of dead weight which dragged
him along for 50 feet before severing through the pelvis bone. Miraculously Truman stayed conscious and even contacted 911
before waiting 45 minutes for paramedics to locate
him at the huge rail yard. Blood loss had sent his body
into crucial preservation mode and his vital organs like
his heart lungs, liver and one kidney remained intact. After 23 surgeries over four months, Truman who now uses a wheelchair
was fully active again. And he is even returned
to work in the office at the very same rail yard. Number three, Anna Bågenholm. In 1999, Swedish orthopedic surgeon Anna Bågenholm made medical history when she was shockingly revived after freezing to death
some 24 hours earlier. Then 29 year old Bågenholm had
been skiing with colleagues in the Kjølen Mountain range in Norway. When she lost control
during a steep descent and fell onto a frozen stream below. A hole, then opened up beneath her body, swallowing her headfirst and trapping her under eight inches of ice
with no means of escape. And when her friends found her and attempted to pull her out only her feet and skis were above the ice. After 40 minutes of shallow breathing using a tiny air pocket, Anna's body temperature reached a staggeringly low 13.7 degrees Celsius and she entered circulatory arrest. By the time rescuers dug her out, she had been under the
freezing ice for 80 minutes. And when she was airlifted to hospital, she had undoubtedly been clinically dead for two hours. After desperate efforts
to rewarm her blood, Anna's heart miraculously
restarted 24 hours after her initial fall. And after more than a year,
she was able to move again. Doctors believed that the extreme
cold slowed her metabolism causing the brain to require less oxygen and induced hypothermia is now practiced with critical patients
to prolong the window needed to save lives. Number two, Ron Hunt. It may seem unlikely that the subject of an x-ray like this one
could make it out alive, but one incredibly lucky man
has lived to tell the tale. On 15th August, 2003
construction worker, Ron hunt was working in the
Tahoe Donner Subdivision in Truckee, California, when one mishap almost cost him his life. Hunt was drilling above his head while standing on a six foot ladder, when he pushed a little too hard trying to bore a hole,
causing the ladder to wobble. Realizing what was about to happen, Hunt followed standard safety procedure by tossing the drill aside, but the power tool didn't
fall far enough away and he landed face first
on the 18 inch long, one and a half inch diameter drill bit. The tool skewered his head
by entering his right eye and exiting about six inches
through the side of his skull. But it miraculously
pushed his brain aside, sparing him from brain damage,
paralysis and probable death. Specialist initially planned
to cut the drill bit out but decided to effectively unscrew it free and Hunt recovered from his injuries in just under a month. Despite losing an eye and
suffering a fractured skull, Hunt emerged relatively unscathed and his cognitive health has
proved even more remarkable than the curious case of Phineas Gage. Before I continue, check
out this incredible footage captured on helmet cam which shows the moment
motorcyclists Taylor Smith flipped in the air and
somehow landed on his feet after being hit by a speeding car on his way home from work. The extraordinary event took
place in San Francisco in 2015. When the car emerged from nowhere after running a red
light at an intersection and hit Mr. Smith's side on. The 2011 Daytona 675 custom bike was destroyed in an instant. But they fully Smith himself was wearing all the correct protective gear. Smith only suffered minor bruising and was astonished to
find himself on his feet. Having probably also saved the lives of the pedestrians crossing at
the right side of the street. Number one, Lucky Log Escape. If you've ever seen "Final Destination 2" you'll remember this terrifying scene. But your fear of freak
logging-truck related catastrophes may not be so irrational
after seeing this photo. In October 2019, one motorist in Georgia had an incredibly lucky escape after his 2003 Nissan
Xterra was impaled by logs from front to back. The unnamed driver was bending down to collect a drop coffee cup when he rear ended a
logging truck in front, which sent as many as 40 felled trees smashing through the windshield
and out the other end. The scene may look like
a definite death trap but thankfully the driver
emerged with only minor injuries because his seat was not
in an upright position at the time of impact. Firefighters cut through the massive logs before rescuing the man in
around 10 to 15 minutes. And the chief officer
was astounded to discover that his headed ended up in a hole perfectly sized to protect
them from the logs. This person needs to buy a lottery ticket with that sort of luck. So, which of these people do
you think was the luckiest? Let me know in the comments below. And thanks for watching. (soft music)
