Man Struck By Lightning While On Computer
Family Says 19-Year-Old Flew Across Room
POSTED: 3:42 pm EDT July 25, 2008
UPDATED: 5:43 pm EDT July 25, 2008
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BOSTON -- A Massachusetts man was sitting at his computer when he was jolted by a bolt of lightning during this week's storms.NewsCenter 5's Lynn Jolicoeur reported Friday that Anthony Tomasz's family said he learned a valuable lesson.
VIDEO: Man Struck By Lightning"The lightning hit him, went through mouse into the bottom of his foot," Tomasz's uncle, Rick Wigglesworth, said.The zap through the laptop knocked out Tomasz and sent the 19-year-old flying across his bedroom. His uncle came running after the loud boom woke him."He was semi-conscious. He was not alert. He knew something had hit him," Wigglesworth said.The Hopkinton resident is one of 24 people hurt by lightning in Massachusetts this year -- the highest number for any state, according to a lightning awareness group run by a Massachusetts man.The numbers bolted up this week when 10 people were hit while huddling under a tree in Dorchester.The region is experiencing more thunderstorms than an average year in Massachusetts. Observers at Logan International Airport have reported 20 thunderstorm days, with a normal yearly average of 17.4.At Worcester Airport there have been 19 thunderstorm days to date, compared to a normal 16.3 for the year.Tomasz uncle said though he knew the dangers of touching anything tied to power during a storm, the message has truly hit home."We've learned you just can't take the chances," he said.Lightning jolted a second Hopkinton resident through an extension cord he picked up outside during the same storm Wednesday.The founder of StruckByLightning.org said people need to heed the warning -- if thunder roars, head indoors -- even if it sounds far away, you can be struck.
VIDEO: Man Struck By Lightning"The lightning hit him, went through mouse into the bottom of his foot," Tomasz's uncle, Rick Wigglesworth, said.The zap through the laptop knocked out Tomasz and sent the 19-year-old flying across his bedroom. His uncle came running after the loud boom woke him."He was semi-conscious. He was not alert. He knew something had hit him," Wigglesworth said.The Hopkinton resident is one of 24 people hurt by lightning in Massachusetts this year -- the highest number for any state, according to a lightning awareness group run by a Massachusetts man.The numbers bolted up this week when 10 people were hit while huddling under a tree in Dorchester.The region is experiencing more thunderstorms than an average year in Massachusetts. Observers at Logan International Airport have reported 20 thunderstorm days, with a normal yearly average of 17.4.At Worcester Airport there have been 19 thunderstorm days to date, compared to a normal 16.3 for the year.Tomasz uncle said though he knew the dangers of touching anything tied to power during a storm, the message has truly hit home."We've learned you just can't take the chances," he said.Lightning jolted a second Hopkinton resident through an extension cord he picked up outside during the same storm Wednesday.The founder of StruckByLightning.org said people need to heed the warning -- if thunder roars, head indoors -- even if it sounds far away, you can be struck. Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
