Man Struck by Lightning Exactly a Year After Firework Exploded in His Face: ‘Unlucky on That Day’

James Lawley, a firefighter from Alabama, has survived multiple freak accidents.

On Thursday, July 9, WVTM reported that on July 5, 2025, while celebrating his daughter’s birthday, a firework exploded in Lawley’s face. This year, on Sunday, July 5, he was struck by lightning.

“We avoided fireworks that whole day because of that, and then at the end of the day I get struck by lightning,” Lawley said in an interview with the outlet. “So I don’t know if it’s the fifth of July or what but I’m unlucky on that day.”

Lawley explained he was standing between a car and a fire truck and that the lightning “hit the car, passed through me, and then passed back out into the engine.”

“The only thing that I remember is just, kind of grabbing my chest and saying that ‘I’m hit! I’m hit!'” Lawley recalled. “I just didn’t know what was happening at the time”

As for how Lawley survived, he said the EMT told him “since it was a secondary hit, I wasn’t a primary strike, that’s probably the only thing that saved me.”

Lawley compared his pain to the soreness after an intense workout.

“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,” he shared. “I went and unloaded a box truck for my company today.”

While Lawley has been in two rare and unfortunate situations, it’s given him some more perspective on life.

“You never know when it’s your last day. You never know when something freak could happen,” he remarked. “So make sure you treat every day like it’s your last day.”