A 13-year-old Texas boy says he is grateful to be alive after he was struck by lightning inside his bedroom while playing video games Tuesday.
Vlad Skuridin was in his room at the family’s home in Cypress when lightning hit the house, giving the teenager a terrifying shock, according to KPRC 2 News.
“I was just sitting here, everything was going fine. I was playing video games, I was not expecting anything,” the young teenager told the outlet.
The lightning reportedly reached Vlad through a metal part of his desk that was touching his abdomen at the time.
“I just jumped out really fast and I started screaming,” the shaken 13-year-old recalled.
“It was crazy. I honestly thought I was gonna die.”
“Like, I did not think I was going to survive that,” Vlad said. “I don’t know how I survived it.”
His family believes the lightning first struck a nearby tree before the electrical current traveled into the home and hit Vlad through the metal component on his desk.
A small fire also broke out in the family’s attic, which investigators believe was started by the electrical current from the lightning strike that traveled through the home’s wiring system and ignited the blaze.
Vlad’s father immediately called 911 and firefighters and local police rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, there was only minor damage to the family’s home, including a hole in their wall.
Emergency medical crews evaluated the teen at his home and determined he did not require hospital treatment.
“I’m feeling fine, but I’m still a little shocked and dizzy,” Vlad recalled Tuesday evening.
“Not from the shock, from the lightning, but just everything that happened here is crazy,” he said.
While the experience didn’t leave any permanent scars on the teen, he has walked away from the freak incident with a new lease on life.
“Anything can happen at any moment. You just got to be nice to everybody,” he told KPRC 2 News.
“It can end whenever. It can end whenever you want, man,” the teen added.
Following the wild lightning strike, Mark Herman of the Harris County Constable Precinct 4, issued a warning to families ahead of more storms forecast for the Cypress area in the coming days.
“Safety Reminder: During thunderstorms, avoid using corded electronics and stay away from electrical wiring and plumbing, as lightning can travel through a home’s electrical system,” the Precinct wrote on Facebook.
