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Arizona Couple And Dog Struck by Lightning, Car Saves Their Lives

One couple from Tucson, Arizona, had a close brush with death last week, during a thunderstorm, when a lightning bolt hit their car stuck in traffic.
Charlie the dog was inside Chevrolet Suburban hit by lightning in Tucson, Arizona 7 photos
Photo: SWNS
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Strangely, they managed to capture the whole thing on camera. Samantha and Darrell were out running errands in their Chevrolet Suburban, together with their rescue dog, aging Charlie. Samantha had taken out her phone to film Charlie, who was freaking out in the backseat because he thought the windshield wipers were “out to kill us.”

What started as a joke took a sudden turn for the dangerous. Right after she says those things, a lighting bolt hits the car: there’s a bright light and a loud bang, and you can hear Darrell say that he believes the lightning hit the antenna of the car.

It turns out, he was right. As Samantha explains for KRQE (that’s the second video at the bottom of the page), the lightning did hit the antenna, which messed up the radio temporarily.

“The radio kind of messed up at first and then all the gauges over there were not happy. The gas gauge doesn't work anymore,” she explains.

Despite the minor damage to the car, she and Darrell were lucky to escape unharmed. Samantha says she feels a zinging pain in one of her legs since the incident, but other than that, she’s fine.

That’s because the car saved their life. The lightning hit the antenna and dispersed throughout the metal frame of the car, before going into the ground. Samantha would probably not be here to tell the story if she were out on the street, instead of inside the vehicle.

Charlie is ok, too, in case you were wondering. Chances are he will be even more scared now to ride in the backseat during a thunderstorm, but other than that, he’s fine.



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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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