A man narrowly escaped death after being thrown to the ground when struck by lightning at his mother-in-law’s house in Kampung Batang Melaka, Jasin on Sunday evening.

In the incident, which occurred around 5.30pm, Muhammad Hafizuddin Mihat, 34, said it was raining heavily when he walked outside with an umbrella to close his car door.

According to him, lightning suddenly struck a dead durian tree near where he was standing before hitting him.

“As I approached the car, suddenly lightning struck the tree and I was thrown like I’d been hit by a bomb and fell sitting down,“ he told Sinar Harian on Monday.

Still receiving treatment at Jasin Hospital, he said that in his confused state, he struggled to save himself and rushed to the house veranda.

He said he was worried about being struck by lightning a second time, and as soon as he reached the veranda, he collapsed.

“Family members including my wife, Noor Liza Ramly, 33, our children, sister-in-law and brother-in-law tried to save me, and I could see them starting to cry,“ he said.

“At that moment, I only thought I was going to die while reciting prayers in my heart before the pain gradually decreased,“ he added, expressing gratitude for what seemed like a second chance at life.

The father of four children, aged between six months and 8 years, said he hasn’t stopped thanking Allah for being so kind and giving him a second chance to remain with his family.

“Otherwise I might have died from the lightning strike. The doctor’s examination revealed that I didn’t suffer serious injuries except for both my big toes, which felt like they had been shocked,“ he said.

He hopes his experience serves as a lesson to others, adding that he remains traumatised and afraid to leave the house when it rains.