# Alabama’s unluckiest man survives being struck by lightning a year after he was hit by firework while undergoing chemotherapy

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/alabamas-unluckiest-man-survives-being-struck-by-lightning-a-year-after-he-was-hit-by-firework-while-undergoing-chemotherapy/
- Published: 2026-07-10T13:35:55+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-10T14:10:51+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15968069/firefighter-james-lawley-lightning-strike-firework-alabama.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Culture, Health, Mental Health, World

## Key points

- Alabama firefighter survives lightning strike at daughter's birthday party.
- It came exactly a year after a firework exploded in his face.
- An EMT said surviving a secondary strike likely saved him.

## Summary

An Alabama firefighter, James Lawley, 36, of Joppa, has survived being struck by lightning at his daughter's birthday party last Sunday, just a year after a firework exploded in his face. The bolt hit his SUV, passed through his body and then travelled into a Cullman County firetruck, leaving Lawley grateful to be alive. His run of misfortune has led to him being dubbed the state's "unluckiest man".

Lawley told WVTM 13 that his only memory was grabbing his chest and saying "I'm hit, I'm hit". An EMT who treated him said he was fortunate to have survived, most likely because it was a secondary strike rather than a direct one. The incident came exactly a year after a firework that had toppled sideways blew up as he tried to set it upright, leaving a wound near his nose that required stitches. Lawley now jokes that he has only "four lives left".

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.