
In a freak accident, a teenager survived being struck by lightning while working outdoors. In Altamonte Springs, Florida, Daniel Sharkey, aged 17 years old, was engaged in a typical outdoor activity- weed-whacking and performing other yard-work-related maintenance duties. Sharkey kept on moving, continuing his activities despite a storm passing through Seminole County in the Sunshine State. Monsoons and brief showers are typical in Florida during the summer months, and thus Sharkey paid no mind to the occurrence and change in the weather. Then, in an unexplainable and harrowing incident, a lightning strike passed right through the tree where he was working, and Sharkey was struck, collapsing to the ground in a truly unbelievable, unlucky, and unexplainable occurrence. The harrowing incident was caught on a ring doorbell camera. The incident happened right before 5 p.m. on Monday, July 15th. Luckily for Sharkey, neighbors raced to his aid after witnessing the strike, and he was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Sharkey says his entire body is extremely weak and sore, but he believes that the tree standing near where he was struck most likely saved his life. Sharkey claims that if the strike was a direct hit, and if the tree had not absorbed some of the force from the lightning, he would likely have perished.
According to statistics released by the CDC, over 40 million lightning strikes occur across the United States every year. Despite this occurrence, the likelihood of an individual being struck by lightning is around one in one million. Surprisingly, 90% of all individuals who are struck by lightning survive. According to the CDC, states with the most injuries endured by lightning strikes include New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Arizona, Missouri, and North Carolina. Lightning strikes often do more damage to property than people. in Gaithersburg, Maryland, strikes destroyed a residence, and in Philadelphia, power lines were downed due to strikes in a strong storm.