By Julia Miller
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Alabama (WAAY) — Sunday night’s storms put a lightning bolt in the path of a car, leading to a close call for one North Alabama family!
Christina Wootten tells WAAY 31 that she and her family were on their way home to Cullman on I-65 when the storm hit.
She says she never expected what happened next…
“All of a sudden, honestly, the best way I can describe it is like a firework. You saw it hit; sparks flew up, and then there was this bright light. My car immediately died. My daughter was in the backseat watching it, and she said, ‘I can officially say I’ve seen a lightning bolt up close’ because it popped right beside her door. She said, ‘The electricity just spiderwebbed across the ground,’” Wootten recalled.
The strike brought her car—and another vehicle—to a complete stop. Both cars literally died.
Then, she says, they were left stuck in the middle of a busy highway in the dark.
“It was extremely terrifying. At that moment, my kids were my first thought—get them to safety, get off the road. All I could think about was getting off the road. One of my daughters was sleeping, and when she woke up, she asked, ‘What just happened?’ I was just holding the wheel, trying to get us off the road, and I said, ‘We just got struck by lightning,’” Wootten said.
Thankfully, everyone is okay, and there were no injuries. However, she says there’s visible damage on the outside of both cars, and there’s no telling what happened to the engine or electronics.
She also expressed gratitude to everyone who stopped to help, including a Good Samaritan who helped get their car to the side of the road safely. She also wanted to thank the Owens Volunteer Fire and Rescue Team for their assistance.
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