Terrifying Video Shows Tree Exploding Into Lethal Shrapnel After Direct Lightning Strike

A startling video captured the moment a tree was struck by lightning and exploded just meters from where a man was packing boxes into his car in Mudgee, Australia. The explosive incident occurred in early November 2022, but has recently gone viral after being shared online by the man's neighbor.

Simon Somervail recounted how he narrowly avoided potential serious injury or death thanks to a last-minute decision to grab his wallet from inside his home. Mere moments after he went back inside, an explosive lightning strike hit the tree adjacent to his parked car.

The lightning bolt obliterated the tree in an immense explosion, sending chunks of wood and bark raining down onto Somervail's car. He described hearing what sounded like an explosion, unlike anything he had ever heard before in his life. The blast was loud enough to be picked up by his neighbor's security camera located down the street.

Had he still been next to the vehicle loading boxes, Somervail acknowledged he likely would have sustained significant injuries from the pummeling tree debris. Video footage shows large branches and entire sections of thick bark plummeting down onto the top and rear of the car, crushing it under their sheer weight and force.

However, the precise location Somervail would have been standing remains unknown, making it difficult to determine definitively whether being inside or outside the car would have been safer. Given the tree was located directly adjacent to the driver's side doors, any position in that immediate proximity could have led to grievous harm.