Two Charlotte teens 'thankful to be alive' after struck by lightning in Florida
CHARLOTTE, NC (WJZY) - Two Charlotte teenagers survived being struck by lightning while vacationing in Florida. Now, the two young men are back at home and they've got quite the story to tell.
If you ask them what happened, they'll tell you they really don't know. Both have foggy memories but said they are just 'thankful to be alive'.
"We didn't even hear the thunder. We just, we just woke up."
Jansen Tabor, 18, and Cameron Poimboeuf, 15, don't remember being struck by lightning.
"I mean, I didn't think that I had really been struck by lightning because it's pretty rare to be struck by lightning."
The two were vacationing in Clearwater Beach, Florida just over a week ago. Poimboeuf believes a scar on his ankle is where a bolt exited.
"I think it's just a freak accident."
A freak accident the teens are making 'light' of with lightning bolt socks and even a Tampa Bay lightning t-shirt.
Even though the scene in Florida was serious...
"Just try and walk and I remember I just couldn't do it."
Tabor woke minutes after the strike...his friend still knocked out.
"I remember I had a stick right beside me and I tried to poke him and see if he was awake but he wasn't responding."
"I remember playing Pokemon walking on the beach and it started storming and walking back but after that I don't remember that much."
Poimboeuf said he remembers nothing from the strike. He doesn't remember that two people saw it happen, a vacationing nurse and police officer rushed to perform CPR.
Doctors said it helped for a miraculous recovery.
"Still kind of shocking to wake up and just have everyone there asking how I'm feeling and if I'm alright."
It was certainly a shock not just to the young men, but their families. But they never lost faith after what could've been a deadly strike.
"I had this peace about me that things would be OK. I don't know why, if it's a piece of God, that just came over me that just got me through."
Both teens go to Providence High School in Charlotte. The oldest is a golfer, the youngest a football player. Both told FOX 46 Charlotte they hope to be back playing soon.