Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) issued a message this week celebrating the survival of one of her staffers after he was struck by lightning in New York.
Thomas Fahmy was struck by lightning last week while walking to his dentist appointment in Staten Island. He initially collapsed, feeling “tingling, numbness, pain, severe pain, in both my feet,” but his screams managed to alert a nearby resident. Stephanie Homan heard his cry for help and called 911. Fahmy was rushed to the hospital, where he stayed overnight before being released, completely unscathed.
“We are grateful that Thomas, a member of my congressional staff, is alive and well after being struck by lightning last week,” Malliotakis said in a statement Monday. “I thank the good Samaritan who ran to his aid and the medical staff at Staten Island University Hospital who treated him.”
The stunning incident was caught on surveillance camera.
“I heard yelling, heard ‘help me, help me,’ so I ran to my door and saw him down here on the ground, so I got the phone and called 911,” Homan told WNBC.
Fahmy said the near-death experience gave him a new perspective on life. He said the doctors “were in complete astonishment” at the situation.
“No burns. I had multiple body exams, no burns at all,” he told WABC. “I went to church Sunday to say thank you, God.”
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“Appreciate life, smile, and breathe fresh air once in a while and don’t let life overwhelm you,” Fahmy added.
The chances of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, with a 90% survival rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.