The Man Who Died After 3 Straight Accidents On Foot, With A Car and Finally A Train

Nearly a century ago, a Chicago man suffered almost impossibly bad luck for three weeks before it all finally killed him

When it comes to bad luck, some people are unfortunately snake bitten. Even after something bad happens to them, that may just be the beginning of additional calamity visiting their lives. Nobody personified this more than the sad case of Chicagoan Roy McGiven, who had a different accident for three straight weeks in Chicago, which got progressively worse until the final one killed him.

According to the November 16, 1931 issue of the Ames Daily Tribune, McGiven was a 28-year-old living in Chicago during the height of the Great Depression. His recent death had received widespread scrutiny due to the unusual series of accidents he had suffered leading up to his final day on earth.

On October 27th, police reports indicated that the man had tripped while walking down a street and suffered some minor injuries after falling to the ground. Fortunately, he was able to go home after an officer administered some basic treatment.

McGiven’s luck only worsened from there. On November 3rd he was in a busy intersection on foot when he was struck by an automobile, and the driver immediately fled the scene. This time, the apparently accident-prone man wasn’t as lucky as before and the injuries he incurred required him to be treated at a local hospital, where he spent the next several days before finally being released.

Most reasonable people might believe that after what McGiven had gone through he wasn’t due for more misfortune for a while. In his case, this proved to be fatally incorrect. Just a week after being hit by a car, he was walking along rail tracks on November 9th when he decided to take a shortcut and cut across the ties. He initially avoided a switch engine but in doing so stepped directly in front of a passenger train, which ran him over, ending his life instantly.

While it’s almost certainly not what he would have wanted to be remembered for, McGiven’s inexplicable string of bad-luck accidents made him a famous cautionary tale in the months immediately after his passing. The almost impossible rate at which he suffered accidents were reported widely and used as an example to be vigilant when walking or driving.

McGiven’s life was snuffed out at an all too young age. He may not have had an excessive amount of time to live his life, but the manner by which he died and his incredible string of bad luck leading up to his demise made him a minor celebrity for a short period of time.