MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — A man continues to recover in the hospital after a lightning strike sent a tree onto his truck with him inside Thursday. That happened in Altamonte Springs.
This was the second driver affected by lightning the central Florida within a week. A driver in Brevard County says he was taken by surprise when his truck was zapped by lightning while driving on State Road 528.
“All of a sudden it was like ‘boom,’” said Michael Zarrella. “It just puts you in almost a panic attack, like what just happened?”
It happened when he was driving his pickup truck on the 528 near the Banana River a week ago. He said it felt like the lightning came from the ground up.
“I hear this huge bang, and huge flash of light really caught me by surprise. The hairs on my neck and arms were standing up,” he said.
He says it came out of nowhere, saying “I was in shock. I hadn’t seen lightning or heard thunder. I saw the dark clouds. It was a little rainy.”
Zarrella says the strike fried the power to his truck but didn’t leave any burn marks on his vehicle.
“I called my insurance agent and was like ‘I think I just got struck by lightning.’”
These two incidents hit home for 18-year-old Daniel Sharkey, who has recovered after being burned on his neck and arms during a lightning strike in Altamonte Springs last year.
He said the strike charred and blew holes though his clothes, and it was all caught on surveillance video.
“I was unconscious. I flew through the air. I remember my first thought was am I dead,” he said,
Sharkey warns that a strike could happen anywhere. Ge realizes he too is lucky to be alive.
“To not have any serious injuries is a definite blessing,” he said. “It’s an eye-opener. It’s scary, but it’s reality.”
Sharkey says he uses a lightning app that alerts him to go inside if there’s a bolt nearby.
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