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JOPPA, Alabama (WXII) — An Alabama firefighter said he is lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning over the holiday weekend. It was the latest in a string of painful and unlikely medical emergencies he’s faced in recent years.
James Lawley told Hearst sister station WVTM 13 the frightening moment happened just after he and his family finished celebrating his daughter’s birthday on Sunday when a storm moved into the area. In the chaos that followed, Lawley said he did not immediately understand what had happened.
Lawley said he was near a car and a fire truck when the lightning hit. He found out from EMTs later he was likely hit secondarily, not by a direct strike — something he believes may have saved his life.
“For the three days afterwards — so up until probably this morning — roughly all the muscles in my body like my lower back, my legs, they all just — I don’t know,” Lawley said. “You’ve been to the gym. A lot of people have been to the gym. That first week after you hit the gym that tight — every time you bend over — hurting — that’s how my body felt for about three days afterwards, but I’m feeling good today. I went and unloaded a box truck for my company today.”
As shocking as the lightning strike was, Lawley said it was not the first time he had been seriously hurt around the Fourth of July. Last year, he was left with stitches in his nose and mouth after a firework exploded in his face.
Now, one year later — on that same day — he survived a lightning strike.
Those aren’t the only health battles Lawley faced. He said he has also gone through five rounds of chemotherapy since 2021. Taken together, Lawley believes the experiences made him feel like he may be running out of extra lives. He’s keeping his sense of humor, though.
Lawley said friends and family commented with relief after he shared what happened on Facebook.
Some joked that he only has a few lives left. He said he can laugh about it now, but next year he plans to take extra precautions around the holiday.
He even went as far as joking that by next Fourth of July he may need to stay wrapped in bubble wrap to avoid getting hurt for the third year in a row.
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