An Alabama firefighter is feeling quite fortunate after surviving a lightning strike on Sunday. Interestingly, it’s exactly one year since he escaped with minor injuries from a firework incident that hit him in the face.
James Rowley was celebrating his daughter’s birthday when stormy weather rolled into Cullman County. Things took a turn for the worse, as reported by local news.
The dedicated father and firefighter recounted that he was near his car and fire truck when the lightning struck.
“The only thing I remember is someone grabbing me by the chest and saying, ‘I was hit, I was hit,'” Rowley shared.
Feeling disoriented, he recalled people around him were screaming and crying. “I knew something was up, but I just didn’t grasp what was happening.”
When the chaos settled, paramedics informed him that he had likely been hit by secondary lightning instead of a direct strike, which probably protected him.
While Rowley feels fortunate to have made it through this incident, he can’t shake the fact that he faced another near-fatal event last year on the same day.
On July 5 of the previous year, while setting off fireworks to celebrate, a firecracker unexpectedly fell and struck him in the face.
As a result, he had to get several stitches on his nose and face due to the blast.
Rowley has also been through five rounds of chemotherapy since 2021, which adds a layer of gravity to his situation. “That day, I avoided fireworks because of it, and by day’s end, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning,” he said.
He couldn’t help but joke about his bad luck on this particular day, saying, “I don’t know if it’s July 5th or what, but it just seems unlucky.”
Rowley expressed gratitude for being alive, musing that he might need to wrap himself in bubble wrap next July 4th to prevent further injuries.
“You never know when it could be your last day. Something unexpected might happen at any moment,” he reflected. “So, make sure to treat each day like it could be your last.”
