Teen Survives Being Struck by Lightning in Central Park, but Admits One Decision He Made 'Wasn't the Best Idea'
A New York City teenager was struck by lightning in Central Park on June 19
Yassin Khalifa was enjoying a picnic with friends when the storm started, and he suggested they wait the rain out under a tree
'Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened,' Khalifa saidA teenager is speaking out after surviving a lightning strike in New York City.
Yassin Khalifa, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was struck by lightning while spending time in Central Park on Thursday, June 19, according to WABC-TV New York and The New York Times. Though he fell unconscious for a few minutes, he only sustained second-degree burns and is expected to make a full recovery.
After enjoying a picnic with his friends near the East Meadow, a severe thunderstorm set in, according to WABC. Khalifa told the outlet that he decided to ride out the storm under a tree, which he admitted "might not have been the best idea."
The bolt of lightning struck the tree he was leaning on around 3:40 p.m., the New York Post reported, and Khalifa lost consciousness for a short time after the strike.
By the time an ambulance arrived to take him to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, though, Khalifa was awake and alert.
Additionally, Fox 5 New York reported that according to officials, the teen was also burned on impact as he was wearing a metal chain.
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"Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened," Khalifa told WABC-TV. "So I'm pretty happy about that."
In the case of lightning strikes, one in ten people die, The New York Times reported in 2017, though it remains one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States.
The thunderstorm in Manhattan was part of a string of severe weather along the East Coast on June 19, affecting parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
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