SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — A Texas man is lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning. Cheval Silva wanted to watch the International Space Station go across the sky near his ranch but decided to watch t-v when storms rolled into the area where he lives. Silva dozed off to sleep but woke up to the shock of his life.
“By a searing pain in my right foot, and when I woke up, I could see the room kind of exploded,” Silva said.
He says he immediately got up and went to get his granddaughter out of harms way. When he picked her up, she knew something wasn’t right.
“When I picked her up she started screaming ‘ Grandpa, you’re on fire! You’re on fire!” he said.
Silva realized a bolt of lightning had come through his roof. It went into his shoulder and came out through his leg. The bolt caught Silva and his favorite chair on fire.
The area where he lives is so remote that help couldn’t come to him, he had to go to the help.
“They couldn’t find my house,” he said. “We had to load my granddaughter and myself in the truck and get down to the highway intersection.”
Silva says he only has some possible nerve damage. Thanks to EMS workers and a doctor, he is going to be fine. His favorite chair was not so lucky.
His granddaughter wasn’t hurt.
“I’m awful glad my granddaughter is safe and I’m glad I still got my legs… but I’m sure going to miss that chair,” he said.
Despite his luck, he says he won’t be playing the lottery anytime soon.
He plans to get lightning rods for his home.
