A TEEN girl has revealed how she was struck by lightning while inside her own home.
Lisa Henderson, 19, was lying in bed and browsing on social media on her phone when she received the shock.
She was charging her device on Sunday night when she heard a strange popping sound, as reported by the CBS affiliate WHNT-TV.
The pop came just moments after she heard a lightning strike.
Lightning storms passed through the town of Russellville, Alabama – located around 110 miles from Birmingham – on Sunday.
“As I was watching a video, that’s when something struck,” Henderson told the local news outlet Times Daily.
“I felt like stinging and stuff from my fingers to here, feels like I stuck a fork in a light socket,” she recalled.
Henderson said her ears started ringing and she hurled her phone after being shocked.
“If I would’ve kept it, I could’ve been electrocuted even more than I was,” she told WHNT.
Her fiance, Conner Welborn, recalled how his partner was crying following the strike.
It appears the lightning bolt surged right to her cell phone charger through an extension cord.
But, Henderson was laying on her right side, which made it harder for the current to go toward her heart.
Her blood pressure rocketed to 170, according to Welborn.
She struggled to remember her age when being quizzed by doctors.
And, she couldn’t recall her birthday.
The odds of being struck by lightning are around one in a million, according to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What should you do indoors if there’s lightning?
EXPERTS at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shared tips on what Americans should do during stormy weather.
- Do not wash dishes or shower. This is because lightning can travel through plumbing.
- Don’t run water.
- Do not use computers or game consoles
- Stay away from windows
- Do not use corded phones
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
But, one third of all lightning injuries happen indoors.
Alabama is among the states that have the most lightning injuries and deaths.
But Florida is known as the lightning capital of the US. The state experiences around 1.2 million lightning strikes every year.
The Lightning Safety Council has identified Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Colorado as the states with the highest number of fatalities caused by lightning.
Newlywed Jake Rosencranz died – hours after being struck by lightning in Florida.
He was at New Smyrna Beach, the so-called shark capital of the world, and standing in water when he was struck.
It was Florida’s first lightning death of 2025.
CDC chiefs have offered tips for what Americans should do during lightning events.
Americans are urged not to wash any dishes during storms.
This is because lightning can travel through plumbing.
Americans should avoid charging their smartphones, and stay away from windows and doors.
The agency also warns about the risks of leaning against concrete walls.
This is because lightning can pass through metal bars.
