Incredible Survival Story After Lightning Hits Truck In Michigan

Thursday night brought strong storms to Southwest Michigan, and one man in particular is lucky to be alive after his F-150 was struck by lightning while he was driving in the Fort Custer Recreation area in Augusta.

I think we all have a fear of being struck by lightning, but the odds are so low that it’s almost inconceivable to have to imagine a situation where any of us would seriously have to worry about it.

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But a man, who still remains anonymous, was able to get out of his car safely before it quite literally melted. News channel 3 WWMT was there for coverage alongside the fire department as they had to extinguish the vehicle:

A man who was inside of his truck when it was struck by lighting is alive. He was driving near the Fort Custer Recreation Area in Augusta when it happened, escaping before the vehicle became engulfed in flames. A News Channel 3 photographer, who was in the area at the time for storm coverage, spoke to first responders who said the man is "lucky to be alive."

 

What Are The Odds Of Being Struck By Lightning?

According to the NWS Storm Data, in the 10-year span from 2009-2018, the U.S. had averaged 27 lightning fatalities, even though the odds of being struck in a given year are 1/1,222,000 and the odds of being struck in your lifetime are 1/ 15,300.

That's a lot of people, but when you take those numbers into context, that's still too close of odds for me to feel truly comfortable.