A Chinese man can be considered incredibly lucky after surviving being struck by lightning twice in less than five minutes.
According to estimates by the WHO, the chances of a person being struck by lightning in their lifetime is approximately 1 in 15,300. This figure is significantly lower than what many might imagine.
Nearly 90% of lightning strike victims survive. However, you wouldn’t want to be one of the unlucky ones, as lightning strikes can cause significant damage to the body (Photo: Getty).
Sometimes, however, truly unbelievable events can occur. Recently, a man was struck by lightning twice in just five minutes.
The unfortunate victim is Liu Nan, who lives in the town of Tunxi, Guizhou Province, China. During a thunderstorm last month, Liu saw a flash of white light before losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground.
He barely had time to remember what had happened. Before he could get back on his feet, he saw another bright light and fell into a temporary unconsciousness once again. When he miraculously regained consciousness after the second strike, he found his wife and children standing beside him, their faces filled with fear and concern.
He was then taken to a local hospital, where doctors confirmed that Liu had been struck by lightning not once, but twice.
This rare incident left Liu with third-degree burns on his foot, lower back, and buttocks.
Liu Nan survived after being struck by lightning twice in succession. (Photo: Weibo).
“At that moment, I was knocked out immediately, and it took a while for me to wake up,” Liu recalled. “Then, the light appeared again, and the lightning struck while I was lying on the ground.”
Lightning strikes often cause severe damage to the skin of victims, and Liu Nan’s case is no exception. About a month after this miraculous survival, the man’s burns had still not healed.
Fortunately, his condition has now stabilized. He considers himself lucky to have survived being struck by lightning. However, historically, there have been cases of victims being struck more than twice.
For instance, Roy Sullivan, an American park ranger, was struck by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977. Sullivan was even recognized by the Guinness World Records as the person struck by lightning the most times, surpassing anyone else.
In 2014, Mrs. Le Thi Nhan, living in Xuan Hoa commune, Như Xuân district, Thanh Hóa province, was struck by lightning three times. Fortunately, she too was not fatally affected.
According to lightning experts at the National Lightning Safety Council (USA), in addition to the common external injuries (such as burns of varying degrees), survivors of lightning strikes often suffer from neurological damage and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This condition can become severe and even debilitating.
Some lightning strike survivors report experiencing memory loss, chronic nerve pain, depression, and even what they describe as “psychic abilities” like precognition.
