‘Just a miracle to me.’ Man survives being struck by lightning during Georgia severe storms

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — A LaGrange man is recovering after lightning struck him in Troup County on Wednesday afternoon.

Clarence Cox is a maintenance tech at an apartment complex on Old Airport Rd., and he was unlocking a storage door when lightning hit the building and traveled through the key to his hand.

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“Right up through my body,” said Cox. “I felt the lightning go through me. It almost felt like it was coming out of the top of my head.”

He said the force threw him to the ground, but he managed to make his way to the leasing office for help.

That’s when coworkers called 911 and paramedics checked his vitals, but he was okay and declined to be taken to the hospital. He said his arm was tingling and numb. Plus, his blood pressure elevated for a moment.

“It’s just a miracle to me. God has a purpose for me. I got to take care of my wife and my daughter. So, I just thank the Lord that I’m still alive,” said Cox.

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Georgia is one of the states with the most lightning-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 16 people died here from 2006 to 2021.

“I’m going to tell you, it was the act of God that saved my life. Between that and my rubber-soled boots,” laughed Cox.

He is now part of an elite group of survivors and he said it changes you.

“It does something to you. Now, when lightning pops, I’ll be in inside, not outside,” said Cox.

He warns others to think twice, too.

“Don’t push the envelope. It’s a very serious thing. I never in a million years would have thought I would get struck by lightning,” said Cox.

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