A man in Staten Island, one of New York City’s five boroughs, is recovering after being struck by lightning in broad daylight as he walked down a residential street.
Thomas Fahmy told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner network, that he was on his way to a dentist appointment on August 27 when he suddenly saw “a bright white flash” and collapsed to the pavement. He described the sensation as unlike anything he had ever experienced, calling the whole ordeal “horrific.”
A nearby resident who witnessed the strike quickly called 911, the US emergency number, and stayed with Fahmy until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation but, remarkably, did not suffer serious injuries.
Lightning strikes on people are rare but not unheard of, especially during summer storm season in the northeastern United States. Survivors often report burns, temporary disorientation, or lingering nerve effects, though Fahmy appears to have escaped the encounter largely unscathed.
His account, shared with CBS News, offers a rare firsthand description of what it feels like to be hit by one of nature’s most powerful and unpredictable forces — a jolt of electricity that can reach temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun in a fraction of a second.
You can watch Thomas Fahmy’s full account of the experience in the original BBC video report.
Source: Watch: US man struck by lightning describes 'horrific' experience (feeds.bbci.co.uk). English version produced with AI assistance.
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