Jaw-dropping second man is hit by lightning – and miraculously survives

Shocking CCTV shows a 24-year-old man struck by lightning just 15 to 25 feet from his car, collapsing instantly but then staggering up to seek help – and surviving with no major injuries

Wild surveillance video has captured the jaw-dropping moment a man was struck by lightning – and somehow lived to tell the tale.

Thomas Fahmy, 24, was walking along the road, when the bolt hit last Thursday (August 27), just 15 to 25 feet from his parked car as he headed to a dentist appointment after work. In the clip, Fahmy can be seen suddenly dropping to the ground the instant the strike lands, collapsing on the pavement as the electrical charge courses through him.

“This very intense burning sensation,” Fahmy described. “Tingling, numbness, pain, severe pain, in both my feet.”

He reportedly said he felt an intense shock throughout his body, but in an astonishing twist, he never blacked out. Despite the agony, the footage shows him pushing himself back up, wobbling to his feet and staggering towards a nearby home to beg for help.

The dramatic incident happened along Todt Hill Road near Windsor Road in Castleton Corners, Staten Island, USA.

A neighbour, Stephanie Homan, heard his desperate cries and raced to help, NBC New York reported. “I heard ‘help me, help me’ so I ran to my door and saw him on the ground,” Homan told NBC New York.

Paramedics rushed Fahmy to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, where doctors ran extensive tests. Consequently, they were reportedly stunned by the results.

A man of faith

Despite being struck, he reportedly suffered no external burns and no major internal injuries. He was kept overnight for standard monitoring and discharged the next day.

Fahmy works as a district office staffer for U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis on Staten Island. The congresswoman released a statement Monday expressing relief at his survival.

She said: “We are grateful that Thomas, a member of my congressional staff is alive and well after being struck by lightning last week. I thank the Good Samaritan who ran to his aid and the medical staff at Staten Island University Hospital who treated him.”

Fahmy, who describes himself as a man of faith, said the incident has changed how he looks at life. Moreover, he even headed to church the following Sunday to give thanks.

“Just to appreciate life, smile and breathe fresh air once in a while and don’t let life overwhelm you,” he said. Lightning strikes in the UK are incredibly rare, but most people who are hit do survive, according to figures compiled by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO).

Their data suggests around 30 to 60 people are struck by lightning in the UK each year. On average, only two to three of those strikes prove fatal, meaning roughly 90% to 95% survive.

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