A couple had the shock of their life when they were struck by lightning while on their way to Sunday lunch on September 29, 2019.
Speaking to News24, Wynand Van Der Merwe said that everything was blank when the lightning bolt struck the car he was travelling in with his wife, Christine.
“There was the hit, and then moments later my eyes opened and everything was white,” Van der Merwe said.
The couple was making their way to a family lunch to see a relative who was visiting from abroad when they were stuck by lightning, just as they entered Moreesburg.
“There was the hit, and then moments later my eyes opened and everything was white,” Van der Merwe continued. “The car was like a dead ant moving slowly forward from the momentum. I’m like ‘OK, I don’t know what just happened’.”
The passengers in the car that was driving behind them stopped to help, and informed them that the lightning had hit their car’s aerial. “They said to us, ‘You were just struck by lightning’,” Van Der Merwe said.
The helpful strangers, who had been driving ahead of them, called their parents to offer assistance. They removed the Van Der Merwes’ car battery in case the car caught alight. The couple then continued to make their way to lunch after the incident with the assistance of the strangers who helped them.
Wynand downed a piping hot chocolate drink when he arrived at the lunch, as he had spilled the first one they had bought on their way to Moreesburg. It spilled when they were hit by lightning.
He and his wife Christine felt perfectly fine after lunch, but when Van Der Merwe woke up on Monday morning, his arms were swollen. According to his doctor, it may be muscle damage due to the electric shockwaves, and tests are being conducted to check for kidney damage.
Picture: Pixabay
