Michael Utley survived a lightning strike that put him in a coma
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Michael Utley was participating in a golf tournament for charity in 2000 when storm clouds rolled in. As his party was being evacuated from the course, he was struck by lightning, The Boston Herald reports.
Utley doesn't remember much, only what he was told by his friends about the ordeal. They said his body was smoking as he fell to the ground.
His friends performed CPR for 14 minutes while waiting for paramedics to arrive. He would spend the next 38 days in intensive care in a coma.
He had to relearn how to walk and eat, basic skills that had been affected by the lightning strike. He still suffers from balance issues and sometimes stumbles when he walks. He acknowledges that the lightning strike put things in perspective for him.
"Simple things become more important," he told the news source. "The rat race became much less important when you realize how quickly everything can change."
The National Weather Service (NWS) estimates that there are about 60 deaths every year due to lightning strikes. The odds of a person being struck by lightning in a given year is 1 in 750,000.
The NWS reports that roughly 10 percent of the people who are struck by lightning end up dying as a result. Individuals who survive a lightning strike may experience issues with their nervous system and may have problems with their short-term memory, multitasking and a possible personality change.
The organization provides information regarding support groups and other organizations for survivors of a lightning strike.
Utley doesn't remember much, only what he was told by his friends about the ordeal. They said his body was smoking as he fell to the ground.
His friends performed CPR for 14 minutes while waiting for paramedics to arrive. He would spend the next 38 days in intensive care in a coma.
He had to relearn how to walk and eat, basic skills that had been affected by the lightning strike. He still suffers from balance issues and sometimes stumbles when he walks. He acknowledges that the lightning strike put things in perspective for him.
"Simple things become more important," he told the news source. "The rat race became much less important when you realize how quickly everything can change."
The National Weather Service (NWS) estimates that there are about 60 deaths every year due to lightning strikes. The odds of a person being struck by lightning in a given year is 1 in 750,000.
The NWS reports that roughly 10 percent of the people who are struck by lightning end up dying as a result. Individuals who survive a lightning strike may experience issues with their nervous system and may have problems with their short-term memory, multitasking and a possible personality change.
The organization provides information regarding support groups and other organizations for survivors of a lightning strike.
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