Have you ever been incredibly frustrated after spilling coffee on yourself, causing you to leave for work later than usual? Only to discover a major traffic accident on the highway that you would have been caught in if you had left at your regular time?
Or perhaps you’ve overslept so much that you arrived late for your first day at a new job, only to find everyone outside because of a fire in the office?
Sometimes, being late can be a blessing in disguise. In some instances, it can even save your life. The following stories highlight this very fact.
Admiral Richard E. Byrd Missed His Train
In August 1921, Richard Byrd was on his way to join the crew of the ZR-2. The 695-foot (212-meter) long Navy airship was set to depart from Howden, England, for its trial flight. However, Byrd’s journey didn’t go as planned; he missed his train the day before and arrived at the airfield late. Consequently, he was removed from the crew list and could only watch the ZR-2 take off the following morning.
He later reflected on this experience, likely relieved to have missed the flight. In his 1928 memoir, he described the airship’s magnificent appearance in the sunrise. The day after the flight, Byrd learned that the airship had broken in half mid-air, exploded, and crashed into the Humber River. Tragically, 44 British and American crew members, along with a black cat named Snowball, lost their lives.
At the time of its first flight, the ZR-2 was the largest airship in the world and the first of several major airship disasters. Richard Byrd went on to become a renowned aviator and the first explorer to fly over the South Pole. He passed away in his sleep in 1957 at the age of 68.[1]
Adriano Assis Was Late to Check In
Adriano Assis, a hospital worker from Rio De Janeiro, had booked a ticket on Voepass Flight 2283 for August 9, 2024. Due to a mix-up at the airport, Assis decided to grab a coffee instead of checking in immediately. Thinking he had plenty of time, he enjoyed his coffee before realizing he was already late for check-in.
His argument with an airline worker proved futile, and Assis was denied boarding. However, his frustration quickly turned to relief when he heard that the plane he was meant to be on had crashed into a gated community in Vinhedo, with no survivors.
Assis now praises the airline worker for ‘doing his job’ and saving his life.[2]
James Stefurak Was Late for No Reason
James Stefurak had a consistent morning routine that involved taking the subway to the World Trade Center on his way to work. He would get a coffee and a newspaper before heading to his office in the Trinity Building. He often saw a homeless man holding doors open for commuters.
Stefurak needed to be in the office before 9 a.m. every day, as he worked with trading stocks. However, on the morning of September 11, he couldn’t seem to get going. He didn’t know why he was running late, but he soon found himself 20 minutes behind schedule. Since he was already late, he turned on the TV and saw images of smoke coming from the World Trade Center.
Stefurak’s apartment building had a rooftop deck with a view of the towers. He immediately went up and watched as the buildings collapsed. Had he not been late, he would have been inside the Trade Center when the first plane struck.[3]
Deadmau5 Missed His Flight by Minutes
On August 20, 2008, Joel Zimmerman (aka Deadmau5) and his tour manager rushed through Barcelona-El Prat Airport to catch their connecting flight. They arrived at the gate just minutes after it closed. With no option but to take the next flight, Zimmerman watched as the plane they were supposed to be on took off. As he watched through the airport window, Spanair JK5022 crashed due to mechanical issues. Of the 172 people on board, only 18 survived.
Zimmerman recalled how at least 1,000 people in the airport held their breath as they witnessed the crash, Spain’s deadliest since the Avianca Flight 011 tragedy in 1983. The crash was found to be caused by the pilot’s failure to deploy the flaps and slats needed for takeoff.[4]
Kevin Dougherty’s Truck Broke Down
In 2001, Kevin Dougherty booked a flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco for September 11, with a layover in Chicago. He was going to his holiday home in Lake Tahoe, where his wife had already been for a week. Shortly before his flight, Dougherty noticed that Newark Flight Number 93 was $150 cheaper, so he switched flights.
On the morning of September 11, Dougherty drove to the airport. His truck suddenly broke down as he exited the ramp at Exit 14 of the New Jersey Turnpike. A nut had lodged in his truck’s drive shaft, causing it to snap. Since his truck broke down near the New Jersey State Police Barracks, officers helped him, and his truck was towed away.
By the time Dougherty arrived at Newark Airport on a shuttle bus, his plane had already left. He booked the next flight to San Francisco, scheduled to depart at 11 a.m., but that flight was canceled due to the attack on the World Trade Center. Shaken, he rented a car and drove back home. He finally made it to Lake Tahoe that Friday and reunited with his wife.[5]
Jerome Kern’s Alarm Clock Did Not Go Off
Jerome Kern is credited with creating the “prototype” of the modern ballad. He wrote “They Didn’t Believe Me” for The Girl from Utah, a Broadway show that premiered in 1914. He composed some of the most memorable love songs ever, including “All the Things You Are,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”
If Kern’s alarm clock hadn’t malfunctioned, these songs might never have existed. On May 1, 1915, Kern was supposed to accompany producer Charles Frohman on an Atlantic crossing. Kern’s alarm clock didn’t go off, causing him to oversleep and miss the boat—the Lusitania. Six days later, the ship was sunk by a German submarine, killing most of its passengers.
Kern was only 30 at the time, and thanks to his faulty alarm clock, he lived another 30 years before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945.[6]
Lara Lundstrum Clarke Had a Run-In with a Celebrity
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Lara Lundstrum Clarke had two significant events happen. She met a celebrity and narrowly avoided death. Clarke was jaywalking when a Mercedes SUV nearly hit her. Both Clarke and the driver stopped, creating an awkward moment.
Clarke made eye contact with the driver, who happened to be Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow gestured for her to go ahead, and a starstruck Clarke continued on, missing her subway train by seconds. When she got off at the World Trade Center stop, it was 8:47 a.m., and the first plane had just hit the North Tower.
If Clarke hadn’t missed that subway train because of her encounter with Paltrow, she would have been at her desk when the second plane hit the South Tower. Tragically, four of Clarke’s colleagues died that day, along with nearly 3,000 others.[7]
Antonis Mavropoulos Was Two Minutes Late
Two minutes can feel like forever, but in reality, it’s a short amount of time. For Antonis Mavropoulos, those two minutes made the difference between life and death.
Mavropoulos knew he needed to hurry to catch his connecting flight in Ethiopia on March 10, 2019. He made sure not to check any luggage to be quick. He ran through the airport, desperately trying to board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 but missed the flight by two minutes. Understandably frustrated, his annoyance was short-lived.
A couple of hours later, Mavropoulos learned that Flight 302 had crashed en route to Nairobi, killing everyone on board. Earlier, he had loudly protested being denied boarding, leading security to escort him to the airport’s police station. After hearing the news, he was shocked, realizing he would have been passenger 150 and would have died.
He took another flight a few hours later and landed safely in Nairobi.[8]
Robert Corrigan Overslept and Missed His Flight
In another 9/11 close call, Robert Corrigan had a seat booked on United Airlines Flight 175. He planned to wake up early that Tuesday morning to give himself enough time to board. Instead, he overslept and missed the flight by a few minutes. By the time he got to the boarding gate, the plane had already left the jetway. While waiting for a stand-by option for another flight to LA, he heard the news about the terrorist attacks at the Trade Center.
Many of his friends and neighbors thought he was on the plane and gathered outside his home that night, relieved to find out he wasn’t.
As the day’s events unfolded on TV, Corrigan realized how fortunate he was and planned to keep his United Airlines ticket as a reminder of what could have been.[9]
Anna Williams Was Loath to Leave
Sometimes, being late doesn’t mean avoiding a car or plane crash, a sinking ship, or a terrorist attack; it can mean escaping pure evil.
Anna Williams was only late getting home on April 28, 1979. Instead of going home at her usual time, the 63-year-old stayed out late to go square dancing with friends.
When she finally got home after visiting her daughter, she found that someone had broken into her house and cut her phone lines. She searched the house but found no one. Two months later, she realized she had escaped evil when she received a letter from the BTK killer, Dennis Rader. The letter included a poem called “‘Oh Anna, Why Didn’t You Appear?”
While Williams was out, Rader broke into her house. He had been stalking her for months and had even picked out souvenirs to take home with him after murdering her. When she didn’t arrive as expected, Rader got bored and left, never returning to try again.[10]
These stories remind us that sometimes, what seems like a minor inconvenience or a stroke of bad luck can actually be a twist of fate, redirecting us away from unforeseen dangers. Whether it’s missing a train, oversleeping, or a chance encounter, being late has, on occasion, proven to be a life-saving event.
What do you think about these stories? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
