A video currently making rounds on social media has left viewers stunned after showing just how narrow one driver’s escape from a lightning strike really was. The footage, captured by a dashcam mounted inside a truck, records the exact moment a massive bolt of lightning slammed into the ground just about 10 feet in front of the vehicle. The impact was so powerful that dirt and rocks were sent flying directly into the truck. The driver reportedly only understood how close he had come to disaster after watching the footage back.
The video was shared on Reddit by user MarketBuzz2021 in the popular community r/nextfuckinglevel, where it quickly attracted a large audience. The post was simply titled “Massive lightning strike 10 feet away from a truck,” and it didn’t take long for the clip to spread far beyond the platform. Viewers were quick to point out that had the timing or the trajectory of the strike been even slightly different, the outcome could have been catastrophic. The dashcam essentially saved the driver from ever doubting his luck, because without the recording, he may never have fully grasped what had just happened.
Dashcam footage has become an increasingly valuable tool in capturing rare and dramatic events that would otherwise go unwitnessed. In this case, the camera did exactly what it was designed to do, recording a moment that no human reaction time could have processed in real time. The driver was simply behind the wheel when nature made its move, and the truck acted as both shelter and witness. Incidents like this are a stark reminder that some forces are entirely beyond human control, no matter how carefully one drives.
Massive lightning strike 10 feet away from a truck
by u/MarketBuzz2021 in nextfuckinglevel
What makes this clip particularly striking is not just the visual spectacle, but the realization of how randomly lightning chooses its targets. A few feet in any other direction and the story could have had a very different ending. The sheer proximity of the strike, combined with the calm continuation of the drive seconds after, makes the video feel almost surreal. It is the kind of footage that forces people to stop scrolling and watch twice, just to make sure they are seeing it correctly.
Lightning is one of nature’s most powerful and unpredictable phenomena, occurring roughly 1.4 billion times around the world each year. A single bolt can carry around 300 million volts and reach temperatures of approximately 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Despite how dramatic this sounds, the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are roughly 1 in 1,000,000 for an individual in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. However, those odds shift significantly depending on location, behavior during storms, and simple proximity to open ground or tall structures.
Vehicles are often considered relatively safe shelters during lightning storms, but not for the reason most people assume. The protection does not come from rubber tires acting as insulators, but rather from the metal frame of the car, which can direct the electrical charge around the occupants and into the ground. This is known as the Faraday cage effect, where the conductive outer shell of a closed metal vehicle shields the interior from the electric field. Convertibles, motorcycles, and open vehicles do not offer this same protection, which is why finding fully enclosed shelter remains the safest course of action during a storm.
Lightning safety experts generally advise that people avoid open fields, tall isolated trees, hilltops, and bodies of water during a thunderstorm. The 30-30 rule is one of the most widely taught guidelines, which suggests seeking shelter when the time between a lightning flash and thunder is 30 seconds or less, and waiting at least 30 minutes after the last observed lightning before returning outdoors. Roads and highways can be particularly dangerous during severe storms, as drivers may be caught in the open with limited options for shelter. The dashcam video of this truck driver is a vivid illustration of just how quickly a routine drive can become an encounter with one of nature’s most violent forces.
In the United States, lightning strikes kill an average of around 20 people per year, with hundreds more suffering serious injuries that can include cardiac arrest, neurological damage, and burns. Florida, Texas, and Colorado consistently rank among the states with the highest number of lightning fatalities, largely due to their weather patterns and the amount of time residents spend outdoors. Globally, lightning-related deaths are significantly higher, particularly in regions of Africa and South Asia where outdoor labor is more common and access to sturdy shelter is limited. Awareness of lightning risks and knowing how to respond when a storm approaches remains one of the simplest ways to avoid becoming a statistic.
If this video left you breathless, share what you think about this remarkable close call in the comments.
