NYC teen describes moment he was struck by lightning in Central Park
Teen Struck by Lightning in Central Park Feels Lucky to Be Alive
A 15-year-old boy who was struck by lightning in Central Park has expressed his gratitude for surviving the terrifying ordeal with only burns as injuries.
Yassin Khalifa, a high school sophomore, recounted the incident to ABC 7 News from his hospital bed. He and his friends were enjoying a picnic in the park’s East Meadow when storm clouds began to gather ominously in the sky.
Khalifa revealed that he had leaned against a tree to seek shelter from the rain and suggested to his friends that they should wait out the storm. However, he admitted that it may not have been the wisest decision in hindsight.
As the group huddled under the tree, a bolt of lightning struck nearby at 101st Street and 5th Avenue, rendering Khalifa unconscious for a few minutes.
Upon regaining consciousness, he found himself being rushed to New York Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center in an ambulance.
Medical staff treated Khalifa for second-degree burns on his neck and leg, but he acknowledged that the outcome could have been far more severe.
“Apparently, I’m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage occurred,” Khalifa said. “So I’m not losing any motor function. I’m pretty happy about that.”
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that approximately 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the US annually, with the odds of an individual being struck being less than one in a million.
Between 2006 and 2021, 444 Americans were struck by lightning, with a survival rate exceeding 90%, according to the agency.
