Viral video shows science teacher inches from getting struck by lightning

Well, that was a close one.

A North Carolina man got the scare of a lifetime on Monday while he was outside his home filming a thunderstorm that was rolling in.

Shawn Hick, a seventh-grade teacher in Lillington, N.C., could be heard in the video justifying being outside to film.

“Maybe I should go inside,” he could be heard saying. “I’m safe, I think.”

Shortly after the assurance, a flash of white could be seen inches in front of him. He appears to lose control of the camera for a moment, and runs inside the home.

Video

“Whew! Nevermind,” he said while catching his breath. “It got me shaking. Alright y’all be safe.”

There has been a drop in yearly lightning deaths from about 329 in the 1940s to about 98 in the 1970s. The numbers have kept plunging since. From 2007-2016, the average yearly deaths dropped to 31.

Men are four times more likely to be killed by lightning in the U.S. than women, statistics show. Men do riskier things that get them in trouble in storms, according to research.

The science teacher at Harnett Central Middle School, told WWAY-TV that he was outside to film a video for his class’ weather curriculum.

The video went viral and had nearly 320,000 views by Saturday morning.

“It’s never struck that close before,” Hicks told WNCN-TV after the stormy ordeal. “Definitely not something I would recommend. I would recommend what my mom taught me when I was younger, staying inside during a storm.”