In a striking turn of events, 17-year-old Daniel Sharkey survived a lightning hit while tending to his neighbor’s lawn in Altamonte Springs, as storms swept through Central Florida on Monday afternoon. WFTV reports that the teenager was working outside around 5 p.m. when he was struck, and not for the fortunate interception of a tree, which absorbed most of the shock, medical professionals suggest the outcome could have been gravely different.
Daniel was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he is currently recovering, and describes intense chest pain recalling the moment through WFTV, "I woke up, I was on the ground. I was trying to scream, and I was unable to." His mother, confirming to WESH 2, relayed optimism about her son's condition, saying he is expected to recover from his ordeal.
Neighbors and friends vouch for his character, detailing his volunteer spirit with Second Harvest Food Bank and his willingness to lend a hand wherever needed. "He’s definitely got some angels with him for sure," Angelina Tolbert, the neighbor whose lawn he was mowing, praised his fortitude in a statement, as per WFTV.
Daniel's experience adds him to the ranks of the relatively few who can say they've lived to tell the tale after a lightning strike, and despite the shock and its aftermath, he acknowledges a sense of fortune; "I’m just happy that if karma is a thing, it ended up on my side this time," he stated, as reported by WFTV, reflecting on the incident.
