A man is lucky to be alive after nearly being struck by lightning while walking down the sidewalk. The footage was shared by multiple accounts on Threads, where it quickly went viral, prompting people to remark on how lucky the guy had to be.
Thomas Fahmy told NBC 4 New York about his experience, describing the moment the lightning hit, producing an intense burning sensation. And while the video does show him collapsing just moments after the blinding flash struck him, Fahmy told the outlet that he never lost consciousness.
It looks like his luck hung in there just a little bit longer, since a good Samaritan happened to be nearby and quickly helped Fahmy take shelter. He was later taken to the hospital, where he underwent evaluation and was monitored overnight. Fortunately, he was found to be in good enough health that he was released the very next day.
According to Staten Island Live, Fahmy later went out and purchased a lottery ticket to celebrate his unbelievable good fortune.
The Man Was Holding an Umbrella While Walking on the Sidewalk
View on Threads
In the video shared on Threads, Fahmy can be seen holding an umbrella while walking past a white picket fence as he headed down the street. Just as he reached the edge of the video, a blinding bolt of lightning came crashing down, and a second later the 24-year-old appeared to collapse to the ground.
The video cut out for a moment, and when it resumed, he was leaning on the fence for support as he walked toward the gate. “I heard ‘help me, help me,’ so I ran to my door and saw him on the ground,” Stephanie Homan, the owner of the home, told NBC 4, New York.
Homan can be heard talking to Fahmy in the footage, asking him if he’s all right and inviting him inside, as she told him she would call for help.
Fahmy Said the Lightning Strike Burned
While different outlets are reporting varied information when it comes to just how close the lightning strike came to Fahmy, it doesn’t sound like the 24-year-old suffered any contact burns. However, he did describe the current that likely traveled through the wet pavement to his feet as being painful.
“This very intense burning sensation. Tingling, numbness, pain, severe pain, in both my feet,” Fahmy said of what he felt during the incident.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), something like 37 million bolts of lightning hit the ground each year. And while that’s a lot of lightning, the CDC says that a person’s chance of being struck is actually pretty slim. The odds of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, according to the agency, which notes that around 90 percent of all lightning strike victims survive.
Still, even while the math may be in your favor, it’s better to err on the side of caution and remain weather-aware when storms are expected so that you can avoid the painful experience Fahmy went through (or worse).