“Lucky To Be Alive”: American Man Struck by Lightning, Feet From His Car, Lives To Tell the Story

• A Staten Island man survived a lightning strike just metres from his car, before collapsing to the ground in an instant
• Surveillance footage captured the terrifying moment, with a concerned bystander rushing to call an ambulance
• Thomas was taken to hospital and monitored overnight before being discharged the following day

A Staten Island man is speaking out after surviving one of nature's most powerful and unpredictable forces. Thomas was only 15 to 20 feet from his car on 27 August when a bolt of lightning struck him. He stumbled a few feet before dropping to the ground.

He described the experience as a wave of sensations hitting all at once: a burning feeling, followed by tingling, numbness, and then severe pain in both feet. One moment he was walking, the next he was on the ground, completely unable to control what was happening to his body.

Surveillance footage from the scene captured the harrowing moment. A woman nearby spotted him and immediately called for help, asking if he was okay before phoning for an ambulance.

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8-year-old Nepal boy survives deadly flash floods after climbing tree and breaking his leg

Thomas was taken to hospital, where he was monitored overnight. He was released the following day.

How lightning can catch you off guard

Lightning can strike people in several ways, including direct strikes, side flashes, ground currents, conduction, and streamers. Any of these can be deadly, and getting immediate medical help can make a crucial difference in keeping someone alive.

View the TikTok video here.

TikTok reacts to the lightning survivor

Viewers flooded the comments on the page with a mix of humour, disbelief and genuine relief:

@RottyDad asked:

"But did you get any superpowers?!"

@Abosh wrote:

"I would genuinely think I'm invincible. No one could tell me anything 😭😭😭😭😭"

@Esther said:

"God saved him tho"

@elonmuskfan420official added:

"He's lucky to be alive. That's a lot of electricity to go through the body."

@POV gamer quipped:

"His homie prob swearing on his life..."

More Briefly News stories on survival

• A six-year-old girl survived about 60 hours buried under mud and debris after devastating floods in Nepal, giving hope amid the destruction.
• An eight-year-old boy survived deadly flash floods by climbing a tree despite breaking his leg, before being rescued and reunited with his family.
• A man survived being struck by lightning at a Cincinnati golf course during a storm, with the frightening moment captured on TikTok.

Source: Briefly News