Overview

• Yassin Khalifa suffered second-degree burns on his neck and leg after leaning against a tree struck by lightning during a severe thunderstorm in Central Park on June 19.
• Electricity traveled through the tree into the metal chain he was wearing, knocking the 15-year-old unconscious before first responders rushed him to Weill Cornell Medical Center.
• Khalifa regained consciousness en route to the hospital, has avoided nerve damage and expects to make a full recovery.
• Safety experts emphasize that individuals should seek shelter inside a sturdy building or a hard-topped vehicle once thunder is heard rather than under trees.
• Lightning strikes are rare—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the odds of being hit in a given year at less than one in a million—but they can cause severe injuries.