Lightning Strikes Freeway Feet From Truck in Utah
Dashcam footage captured the terrifying moment a lightning bolt hit Interstate 84 near Weber Canyon, narrowly missing a moving truck.
A truck driver on a Utah freeway narrowly avoided a direct lightning strike during severe weather earlier this week. Video captured by a dashcam shows the lightning bolt hitting Interstate 84, near the mouth of Weber Canyon, just feet away from a moving truck on Tuesday night.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. local time. The motorist who captured the video, Tucker Ralphs, was commuting home when the event unfolded. "Lightning struck the edge of the freeway feet from a truck just ahead of me," he told Storyful. "It was louder than you can imagine, with a very sharp ‘crack’ and ‘boom.’ Super bright, then gone in an instant."
The National Weather Service confirmed to ABC4.com that the area experienced a thunderstorm and that data indicated a lightning strike hit the side of the freeway.
Lightning strikes can be deadly. According to the National Weather Service, approximately 20 to 30 people are killed by lightning in the United States each year. Earlier this month, a 20-year-old Michigan man reportedly died after being struck by lightning while on a walking path in Florida, shortly after relocating to the state.