Mother and son in miraculous escape after lightning strike

A WOMAN and her son had a miraculous escape when lightning struck their house, blowing a hole in the roof and smashing through the mother’s bedroom ceiling.

Ann Connell and her son James, who escaped unhurt from their house at Athenry in Galway, were badly shocked and yesterday were just grateful to have escaped the incident without injury.

All of the electrical sockets in the house were blown out and extensive damage was caused to the roof of the dwelling in the thunderstorm.

The mother and son were downstairs in the house when the lightning struck the semi-detached house at The Glade estate on the outskirts of Athenry around 7.30pm.

“There was very heavy rain, and suddenly we heard a big bang and we didn’t know what it was,” said James. “All the sockets were blown out in the house.”

James said that he and his mother made their way upstairs and were shocked at the scene of devastation which greeted them.

In two other bedrooms the ceilings were badly cracked.

“The lightning seemed to have hit the front of the house and blew off a load of tiles.

“It came straight through the centre of the bedroom and the ceiling just seemed to have caved in,” said James.

The family had moved into the estate seven years ago but, remarkably, their house was the only one hit by the lightning.

“I suppose we were lucky that it was just damage to the house that happened and that nobody was hurt. But we got a big fright,” said James.

Athenry Fire Brigade was on the scene within minutes. A spokesman said that the family had been fortunate the lightning did not result in a fire and that nobody had been injured.