A Florida teen is counting his lucky stars after being struck by lightning while mowing a lawn and waking up face down in a puddle.
On July 15 at around 5 p.m. in Altamonte Springs, a lightning bolt struck 17-year-old Daniel Sharkey while he was outside doing yard work. The teenager told NBC affiliate WESH that he “was trying to finish up” trimming the yard. He noticed a storm approaching.
Sharkey told the outlet he “was about to head back to my truck.” However, with his trusty weedwhacker in hand, everything went black.
“I woke up face down in a puddle,” Sharkey recalled.
According to ABC affiliate WFTV, the teen said that upon waking, he attempted to scream. However, he discovered he was unable to do so.
Neighbors swiftly came to offer assistance. Footage shared by WESH captures them attending to Sharkey while more lightning strikes as the storms continue to move in.
After discovering that the incident had occurred in front of her home, Angelina Tolbert promptly called 911.
“He’s definitely got some angels with him for sure,” Tolbert told WFTV, sidestepping that the angels allowed him to be struck by lightning in the first place.
Despite Being Struck By Lightning, the Hard Working Teen Believes Karma is On His Side
Sharkey is currently recuperating at Orlando Regional Medical Center. According to WFTV, doctors have reported that the teenager is doing “remarkably well.”
“I’m just happy that if karma is a thing, it ended up on my side this time,” Sharkey said, apparently unaware that karma allowed him to be struck by lightning.
Meanwhile, the diligent teenager is eager to return to work as soon as possible. He’s already fearing the wrath of paying customers.
“I’ve got 20 people that expect their grass cut, and if [they’re] not there, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of annoyed customers,” Sharkey told WESH.
Although getting struck by lightning is rare, surviving such an incident is common. The CDC reports that the chances of being struck by lightning in any given year are less than one in a million. However, nearly 90% of lightning strike victims survive.
Between 2006 and 2021, lightning strikes caused only 444 deaths in the United States.