UPDATE: Bolt from above ‘speaks’ to Doonside man
His wife found him lying in a foetal position, his leg muscles seized by a violent cramp
A Middleton Road, Doonside resident is thankful he got off with only a “rather large shock” which left his muscles locked in a violent spasm when lightning struck in very close proximity to his home on Monday evening, 25 July.
At about 7.15pm, John Clarke was barefoot and standing at the kitchen door, clutching the security gate.
“A huge crack of lightning and roll of thunder struck, followed by a snap, crackle, pop,” according to John, who says his feet then “did a moonwalk”. When his wife raced to the kitchen, she found him lying in a foetal position, his leg muscles seized by a massive cramp.
“For a couple of minutes, I lost feeling in my legs,” said John, which is when they decided to call for medical assistance.
Netcare 911 and ER24 paramedics who assessed him at home were surprised to find his only complaint was of sore muscles after his close call. Lacking any other injury, he declined to be hospitalised.
Comparing the shock to electrical zaps when one changes a lightbulb, John said: “It was about 20 times stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
Chatting to neighbours afterwards, they established that the surge had coursed between several homes. The surge also popped a flourescent light and another security light in the Clarkes’ home.
While John has already been the subject of some well-intended jibes since his shocking experience – including being renamed Flash Gordon and Raiden, god of lightning from the Mortal Kombat video game – taking it all in his stride, he laughed loudest when told by colleagues that his batteries are undoubtedly now fully charged.
Freshly energised by the experience, John swears he keeps hearing his father’s words of warning from his youth. “He always told us children to wear shoes when there’s lightning about when I was growing up in Zimbabwe.”
John swears he won’t make the same mistake twice.
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