It was an otherwise normal day. Terry Mazzei had just pulled into the parking lot of the Fairwinds Wellness Club near Nanoose Bay. But before he could get out of his truck, it was hit by lightning.
“He just got blasted,” his wife Wendy told CTV News. “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.”
The lightning bolt struck a tree on the edge of the parking lot, and the electricity went through the tree and into the truck. The force blew out the tire on the front passenger side.
Other than a headache and some ringing in his ears, Terry is okay.
The couple figures Terry’s dad was watching over him. Terry’s dad passed away in 2016, and it was his truck that Terry was driving when he was hit.
He and Wendy might go buy a lottery ticket now.
Terry’s wasn’t the only truck that was hit. Cathrine Eriksson works at the Wellness Club, and her truck was struck too. The truck won’t start, but the wipers and the lights won’t turn off.
Armel Castellan from Environment and Climate Change Canada told CTV News that a car is a pretty good place to be when lightning strikes. Because the car is insulated from the ground, it’s hard for the electricity to go through the vehicle.
