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A 24-year-old man, Thomas Fahmy, is calling himself “blessed” and even bought a lottery ticket after surviving a direct lightning strike last Thursday while walking to his car in Staten Island, New York in the United States.
The entire moment was caught on a neighbour’s doorbell camera and has since gone viral on social media.
In a video shared by CNN,
Fahmy said he was walking along Todt Hill Road near Windsor Road
for a dentist appointment and was about 15 to 25 feet from his car when the storm hit.
He was seen suddenly collapsing to the ground.
“I didn’t even have a chance to step back, I just fell to the floor,” the Republican Party political staffer said.
Describing the feeling immediately after, the survivor said, “Just tense, very tense, burning sensation. Tingling, numbness, pain severe pain, in both my feet.”
Fahmy further explained, “Once the lightning bolt struck me, the initial sensations that I had throughout my whole body were like completely unprecedented, tingling, numbness, pain, just I feel this burning sensation.”
Despite the force, Fahmy never lost consciousness and managed to get back up and walk to a nearby home for help.
Neighbour, Stefanie Homan said she heard him calling “help me, help me” and ran to his aid.
She called emergency services and Fahmy was taken to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, where she was monitored overnight before being released the next day.
Remarkably, doctors found no visible burns or major injuries.
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“No burns. I had multiple body exams, no burns at all,” he said.
Fahmy works in the Staten Island office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the US representative for New York’s 11th congressional district.
The congresswoman released a statement saying she was “grateful that Thomas… is alive and well” and thanked the Good Samaritan and hospital staff.
A man of faith, Fahmy went to church on Sunday to “say thank you God” and said he felt “blessed”.
He disclosed that the experience changed his outlook on life.
“Just to appreciate life, smile and breathe fresh air once in a while and don’t let life overwhelm you,” Fahmy said.
He even joked about his luck by buying a Mega Millions lottery ticket on Saturday. The odds of winning are one in 300 million.
His dentist’s office reportedly waived his $50 no-show fee.
According to the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 37 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the US each year.
The CDC further said the odds of being struck in a given year are less than one in a million, and nearly 90 percent of those struck survive.
