'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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.