'He just got blasted': Nanoose man unhurt after lightning strike
A Nanoose couple are now ready to purchase a lottery ticket after one of them was inside a vehicle that was struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon.
Wendy Mazzei says her husband Terry had just arrived in the parking lot of the Fairwinds Wellness Club, turned off the ignition of his truck and was about to open the door when lightning struck.
“He just got blasted,” Mazzei says. “He said it was a huge explosion and sound. It was pretty crazy. I’m so thankful that he’s here to tell me about it.”
Mazzei says Terry was uninjured by the incident, but was understandably shaken.
“His ears were kind of ringing, it was the right front passenger tire that blew out, so his right ear was a bit sore and he had a bit of a headache, but other than that he was good, thank goodness,” she says.
She says they don’t want to think about what could have happened had Terry actually been outside when the event occurred.
“We like to think that his father was watching over him,” Mazzei says. “His father passed away in 2016 and this is his father’s truck that he drives and he has a picture of his father in the visor right above where he drives and so we like to think that his father was watching over him.”
There is one person connected to the Mazzei family that is impressed by Terry’s ordeal.
“Our grandson thinks this is pretty cool; he thinks (Terry) might have super powers now and he’s calling (Terry) Flash,” Mazzei says.
Mazzei says when the tree behind her husband’s pickup was struck, the lightning travelled down to his pickup as well as a GMC Sierra owned by Wellness Club employee Cathrine Eriksson that was parked two stalls over.
"When the lightning strike hit us, which was obviously right outside our building, my first concern was for our work computers,” Eriksson says. “Unbeknownst to me, my truck was the one that was actually struck."
Her truck had to be towed for servicing and won't start, but her wipers and brake and backup lights won't shut off.
She says her husband was dealing with an insurance adjuster over the damage and indicated that she'd never seen anything like it before in her 16 years.
According to meteorologist Armel Castellan, of Environment and Climate Change Canada, vehicles offer a “next best tier of shelter” in thunderstorms if you can't seek shelter inside.
"Because they're insulated from the ground, there's not going to be a way for the static charge to make its way through the vehicle,” Castellan says. “Often that can be a good insulator."
Castellan says there were approximately lightning 40 strikes on Wednesday in the Lantzville/Nanoose Bay Area. Half were cloud to cloud strikes and 18 were cloud to ground.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.