Man who survived lightning strike says he is "blessed" to be alive

A man who survived a lightning strike in New York City -- in a heart-pounding incident caught on surveillance camera -- says it's only "by grace" that he is alive.

Thomas Fahmy, of Staten Island, was walking on the street on Aug. 27 when he was suddenly struck by lightning.

"That's really a sensation I have never felt in my life," Fahmy told ABC News, calling the experience "surreal."

Fahmy described the experience, saying he felt numbness and tingling throughout his body, particularly in his feet, which he said were so numb it felt as though he were walking on balloons.

A nearby doorbell camera caught the moment on video, showing Fahmy collapse to the ground as the bolt struck his body.

Fahmy said he was about to enter his car after leaving work and was on his way to a dentist appointment when he was struck at about 4:30 p.m.

A woman carrying a child found Fahmy screaming for help outside and let him into her home and called 911, according to Fahmy.

"By that point, I was scared that I would be struck again by lightning," Fahmy said. "That's how unpredictable and really bad the weather was on that Thursday."

"I think it's not luck -- I think blessed," Fahmy said. "There's a good chance that I wouldn't be here now, but because of grace, by grace, I'm here."

Fahmy was transported to a local hospital, where he said the doctors "were in complete astonishment" at the situation. After completing full-body examinations, the doctors found no burns on Fahmy's body, a rarity for lightning strike survivors, Fahmy said.

Fahmy spent one night in the hospital as a precaution, undergoing monitoring, including checks on his cardiac performance, he said.

The odds of getting struck by lightning in the United States are less than one in a million, and almost 90% of all victims survive, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

This incident was just one of many recent lightning strikes across the country.

On Sunday, Aug. 23, a mother and her two-year-old child were struck by lightning and died in Margate, Florida.

And on Saturday, a father of four from Utah was fatally struck by lightning while jetskiing in Florida.