Boy struck by lightning in New York City’s Central Park says he feels lucky

Central Park and buildings in midtown Manhattan are seen from the Rainbow Room, New York City’s landmark restaurant atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK — A 15-year-old boy says he feels “pretty lucky” after being struck by lightning in Central Park on Thursday when a round of thunderstorms swept through New York City.

Yassin Khalifa, a high school sophomore, told WABC-TV he was in the park with friends enjoying a picnic when the storm suddenly rolled in.

“I leaned up against a tree, and I told them, ‘Oh, guys, let’s ride out the storm,’ which in hindsight might not have been the best idea,” Khalifa said.

Khalifa said said he was knocked unconscious for several minutes. Crystal Mateo, 17, told the New York Times she witnessed the scene and saw Khalifa’s friends frantically calling for help and trying to revive him.

“It was scary,” she said. “I was crying.”

Khalifa told WABC he was conscious when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was treated for burns on his neck and leg. Khalifa said he’s expected to make a full recovery.

“Apparently, I’m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened. So I’m like, not losing any sort of motor function,” Khalifa said. “So I’m pretty happy about that.”

Lightning kills around 30 people a year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Strikes, though, are usually not fatal. About 90 percent of people injured by a lightning bolt survive.

The Associated Press