Man Survives Lightning Strike, Credits God: 'There Is a Power Greater Than You'

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A New York man is crediting divine intervention after being struck by lightning while walking through his neighborhood – and surviving.

Staten Island resident Thomas Fahmy was walking to his car Thursday during a storm, beneath an umbrella, when a bolt of lightning struck him and a nearby tree, knocking him to the ground.

Doorbell footage from a neighbor’s house captured the frightening moment, showing a flash of light followed by Fahmy suddenly collapsing to the sidewalk. Fahmy, though, never lost consciousness and was able to get back to his feet and seek help at a nearby home.

“I was literally 15, 20 feet away from my car,” he told NBC New York.

Video footage shows Fahmy walking slowly to a neighbor’s house, still dazed, as the neighbor reassures him: “Are you OK? I’m calling an ambulance.”

“It's a very tense, burning sensation – tingling numbness, pain, severe pain in both of my feet,” Fahmy said of the feeling.

He said he took cover at the neighbor’s house out of fear of what might happen next.

“I was afraid that another strike would happen – and really my life would be in danger then,” he said.

That neighbor, Stefanie Homan, said she heard Fahmy calling for assistance.

“I heard yelling. I heard, ‘Help me! Help me!’ So I ran to my door and I saw him down here on the ground [and] got on the phone to call 911,” she told NBC New York.

Fahmy spent the night at a local hospital for observation, but is fine.

Fahmy is a staffer in U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ Staten Island office. Malliotakis told NBC New York she is grateful for the neighbor's quick response.

“We are grateful that Thomas, a member of my congressional staff, is alive and well after being struck by lightning last week,” Malliotakis said. “I thank the Good Samaritan who ran to his aid and the medical staff at Staten Island University Hospital who treated him.”

Fahmy, who describes himself as a man of faith, said he feels blessed to be alive.

“No burns. I had multiple body exams, no burns at all,” Fahmy said. “I went to church Sunday to say thank you God.”

His advice to others, he said, is simple: “Just to appreciate life, smile and breathe fresh air once in a while and don’t let life overwhelm you.”

Meanwhile, Fahmy said the experience has given him a new perspective on life.

“In politics, you kind of forget sometimes that there’s something bigger than you,” he told The Telegraph. “There is a power greater than you. It all goes down the drain once you see life literally flash in front of your eyes.”

Photo Credit: ©NBCNewYork/ScreenCapture

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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