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Video: Seacroft student's close call as camcorder hit by lightning strike

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Published Date: 17 June 2009
A Seacroft student got the shock of his life as he took a break from GCSE revision during Monday's storms.
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Danny Webster, 16, was filming the torrential downpours from his bedroom window when his camcorder was struck by lighting, bolting him backwards onto the bed.

The teenager had plugged it into the wall plug socket which he believes saved his life.

He told Seacroft Today: "It was really shocking. It went through me and into the house electrics but the circuit breakers cut out, saving my life as the lightening couldn't earth."

Danny, a pupil at David Young Community Academy in Seacroft, is currently on study leave while he takes his GCSEs.

It was during the torrential downpour on Monday that he reached for the camcorder.

"I was just bored at home and it started raining really heavily so I thought I would get my camcorder and film it.

"I plugged it into the mains because the battery was dead. I zoomed in on the floor outside and all of a sudden this white light flashed before it.

"It went through the camera and blew my hand back and made me fall onto the bed. I just lay there. All the electrics went off in the house.

"The camera was still in my hand because I had the hand strap on. Then it just cut out and didn't film anything else."

Danny then lay there in shock.

"My arm was tingling for a while afterwards but that's it, it was a shock."

Danny was filming from his bedroom in the loft.

"I think the electric went through the mains and the circuit breakers
saved the charge and that's what saved me," he added.

The thunderstorm at around 2pm on Monday saw lightning hit various structures across the city, including traffic lights and train tracks.

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  • Last Updated: 18 June 2009 2:53 PM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Leeds
 
 
 


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