Henderson Father Left With Seizures, Memory Loss After Lightning Strike Baffles Doctors

James Badue was standing near his carport outside his Henderson home on July 20 when lightning struck, throwing the 33-year-old about four feet and leaving him collapsed on his kitchen floor. Months later, the father of six still cannot walk without a walker, still cannot work, and still does not have a clear medical explanation for why his body keeps failing him.

Badue's wife, Aaya Badue, said paramedics initially told the family he was okay, according to WRAL. But in the weeks that followed, James Badue experienced shortness of breath, paralysis, episodes of extreme fatigue, and periods where he became unconscious. He was unable to move for several minutes at a time, and he visited three different hospitals within a month of the strike as his symptoms worsened rather than improved.

“I was scared to die,” Badue said, describing the ordeal, per the same WRAL report. He said he has since developed short-term memory loss and difficulty walking, and Aaya Badue told the outlet that her husband is in excruciating pain every day. She has become his full-time caregiver as the family tries to make sense of what happened to him.

Family Believes It Was a Side Flash Strike

The family believes James Badue may have experienced what is known as a side flash, or side splash, lightning strike — an event that occurs when current jumps from a taller struck object to a nearby victim rather than striking that person directly. Research examined by Live Science shows side flash events account for 20% to 35% of lightning trauma, and combined with ground current, are responsible for more than 80% of all lightning injuries nationwide, while direct strikes make up only 3% to 5% of cases. Unlike a direct hit, side flash lightning may not leave obvious external injuries such as burns, which can make the resulting trauma easy for doctors to miss at first glance.

Before the strike, Badue worked in construction remodeling homes, and according to his family's GoFundMe page, he also built and repaired homes and churches, operated a small family farm in Henderson where he grew food, and led community initiatives focused on youth mentorship and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals. That same GoFundMe campaign, launched to help offset the family's mounting medical expenses, confirmed that Badue has since been formally diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, functional seizures, chronic pain, severe fatigue, nerve damage, and balance and mobility impairments.

Why the Scans Kept Coming Back Normal

Badue received an EKG, MRI, EEG, and bloodwork after the strike, and all of those results came back normal, which is part of why he was sent home after his first hospital visit. That discrepancy — a man in visible physical decline with clean test results — sits at the center of the family's ordeal, but it is not unusual, according to the National Lightning Safety Council, which reported that normal test results are common among lightning survivors and that neuropsychological testing tends to be more useful for identifying brain injuries than standard anatomic scans.

Neurological research reviewed by Brain & Life helps explain why: lightning strikes cause cellular, microvascular, and electrical disruption to the nervous system rather than the kind of visible structural lesions that CT scans and MRIs are built to detect. Specialized neuropsychological testing, which can better capture that kind of damage, is not offered by every medical provider and is often expensive, putting it out of reach for many survivors. Lightning injuries in general are associated with memory problems along with a range of neurological or psychological symptoms, consistent with what Badue has described experiencing.

A Family Stuck in Limbo

With James Badue unable to work and Aaya Badue now serving as his full-time caregiver, the couple says they have no money coming in at the moment. They are applying for disability benefits, but North Carolina families face a steep wait: initial Social Security Disability Insurance medical reviews average 180 to 230 days statewide, and federal rules impose a mandatory five-month waiting period from the onset date before any benefit payments can begin, according to the Bridgman Gantt Law analysis of state disability timelines. That gap has pushed the family toward crowdfunding to cover ongoing costs, and they are now considering relocating to Texas to be closer to extended family who can help.

A Recurring Risk Across North Carolina

Federal weather data underscores how unlikely, and how serious, Badue's injury is. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 90% of lightning strike victims in the United States survive, with an average victim age of 37 and men struck roughly four times more often than women — a profile that closely matches Badue's own case. The National Weather Service estimates the annual odds of being struck by lightning at about 1 in 1.2 million, though the lifetime odds of knowing someone who has been struck are closer to 1 in 1,530.

North Carolina carries an outsized share of that national risk. Historical National Weather Service records rank the state fourth in the country for total lightning casualties, with more than 800 combined deaths and injuries recorded since 1959. The state sees between 40 and 50 thunderstorm days a year, prompting statewide Severe Weather Preparedness campaigns held every March. That storm activity has stayed active into late summer this year: severe thunderstorms sparked lightning-related house fires elsewhere in the Triangle region, including in Willow Spring and in a separate incident in Raleigh, both within the past two weeks.

Medical guidance from the National Lightning Safety Council lists chronic neuropathic pain, short-term memory slowness, persistent post-concussive headaches, sleep disruption, and balance dysfunction as common long-term effects among lightning survivors — a list that mirrors much of what Badue continues to live with months after the strike. For now, his family is left waiting on disability paperwork, leaning on donations, and adjusting to a version of daily life defined by a walker, a caregiver, and pain that has not gone away.