A family on vacation in Florida experienced a terrifying situation when lightning struck the van in which they were traveling on I-75 near Tampa, following visiting St. Petersburg, and the moment was captured on video.
The images of the video recorded by the wife of Edward Whalen, Michaelle, show how the lightning hit the vehicle that he was driving and in which he was traveling with his children.
“That was close! This incredible lightning bolt was caught on camera!” Hillsborough County Police Department.
Police said the incident occurred on July 1 shortly following 4 pm as an intense storm approached.
A police deputy was driving on northbound I-75, while driving in the rain, he heard loud thunder, the dash lights came on, then the entire car turned off.
“When he looked in the rear view mirror, he saw smoke. At first, she thought her tire had blown out, but when she stopped, she saw this video and the lightning nearby and realized it was the lightning that damaged the car. The passenger in the vehicle behind was recording at the exact moment of the hit,” police said.
The wife of Edward Whalen, owner of the truck struck by lightning, followed her husband closely in his own car at times in which a heavy rain broke out on the road and she decided to record a video, reported the media Wfla.
“I thought the storm looked really cool and I wanted to take a picture, I mightn’t catch it,” said Michaelle Whalen. “So my son-in-law recommended that I use that slow motion video.”
Just at that moment the lightning struck her husband’s vehicle.
Whalen said everyone in the truck was uninjured. Nevertheless, the vehicle was “completely fried” by lightninghe said, according to Fox Weather.
Florida is the lightning capital of the United States, home to the highest lightning density and frequency of thunderstorms, especially in the summer.
Research by Vaisala shows that the state averages nearly 1.2 million lightning strikes a year.
The state also far leads the nation in lightning-related deaths with 49 since 2001, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. That’s more than double the next state on the list: Texas, which had 22 deaths.
Edward Whalen said “you might feel a slight hum in the car as it hit us, and then my oldest daughter was sitting next to me and she jumped into the middle of my lap and screamed.”
“I had to jump out of the truck and run over to her and hug her and let her know we were all okay. We were really confused. We had very bad headaches,” Whalen said.
“That was always my dream truck, and I finally got it. I had just made my third payment and then boom. Hopefully it will work.”
Police said they hope this case is a reminder that “when you hear thunder, make sure you seek shelter, be inside your home, a business or even your vehicle can save a life.”
This story was originally published on July 6, 2022 1:53 p.m.