Florida Teen Is Lucky to Be Alive After Viral Lightning Accident Video: 'Just a Complete Fluke'

Raquel Lekic
·3 min read
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On Monday, July 15, 17-year-old Daniel Sharkey’s life was turned upside down. The young man was doing yard work when he noticed a storm rolling in. The Seminole County teen, who runs his own lawn mowing company, was tending to his neighbor’s lawn when he saw the approaching threat, but assumed he had enough time to complete the job he was working on.

Sharkey noted that there is a siren that typically goes off when lightning is present, and when he didn’t hear it, he figured he’d be in the clear to complete the job. 

Man cutting grass
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However, when lightning struck a tree he was standing beside, he found himself unable to move. "I couldn’t move any of my extremities…it felt like static on you…everything was tingling like your hands and arms were asleep," he told FOX 35 Orlando, as his story of survival is going viral. 

The Florida teen is recovering from being struck by lightning

Making his recovery from Orlando Regional Medical Center, the teen is lucky to be alive in the wake of the incident. 

"My chest hurts, and everything is sore," Sharkey shared of his recuperation status. "I couldn’t scream – at least, I don’t think I was making any noises."

Sharkey, who was expected to head home from the hospital Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, credits the tree he was standing beside with saving his life. Had it been a direct hit, his injuries could have been fatal. 

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The effects of lightning strikes

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), lightning touches down in the United States around 40 million times a year. It is said that the odds of being struck are less than one in a million, and of those who are struck, 90 percent survive. 

According to FOX Weather, while a direct strike occurs when a person is struck directly by lightning, a “side flash” is another way in which lightning can strike a person. A “side flash” refers to when an object is hit by the extreme weather, with a person positioned one to two feet away.

Lightning striking a tree
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Regardless of the minimal risk, the effects of a lightning strike can be extreme. In addition to burns, FOX Weather explains that when “lightning strikes and reaches the nervous system, it can directly damage nerve cells, cause temporary paralysis and cause arteries and vessels in the brain to burst.”

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With these risks in mind, Sharkey is grateful to be alive. “It was just a complete fluke. It’s a one-in-a-million shot to get hit by lightning, and it’s not 100% survival. Luckily, that tree was there, and I am lucky to be alive,” said the teen. 

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