00:00So Andy, there's a few dinks and dents in your car, it happens to all of us, but you've
00:08got yours in a slightly unorthodox way, I'd like to see the insurance claim, from lightning
00:12strike, debris, crazy, what's going on chaps?
00:16The chimney's literally exploded, and gone up in the air, and then just landed straight
00:24down onto the car.
00:25You've got all kinds of little dinks and dents haven't you that's come off the back of it?
00:29Nobody's been killed or injured, which is in my opinion.
00:32In times like this, that's all you can think in it really.
00:36So Andy, we can see at the back there where it's hit, we're just in your garden, and that's
00:40your neighbours Darren's there, and he's had a lucky miss hasn't he really, because it
00:44was three foot from his daughter's head.
00:48Just fill us in, you were actually out in the garden weren't you when it struck?
00:53I was in bed, and I heard the roaring, and I thought to myself, that's heavy, so I run
01:00downstairs, run out, and I thought I'd better shut the door on my...
01:05Yeah you've got your summer house door flapping open.
01:08So I've got to about here, and all of a sudden it's just gone like...
01:15So what did you, was it a flash you saw first, was it the noise, what can you remember?
01:20I saw the flash, and like a millisecond later, I just looked round to see what was happening,
01:26and it just exploded, the noise was unbelievable.
01:33You ever had anything, seen anything like that in your life before, kind of a storm
01:37like that?
01:38You could almost feel, you could almost feel the blast of it, and it was that loud, it
01:45was unbelievable.
01:46Well I mean really, we've seen the bits of debris and the damage it's done to the car,
01:49I guess you have to think, well that could have been my head, you know what I mean?
01:53Well at the end of the day, the car, the car you can, you know.
01:59Yeah, no one's been hurt, that's the main thing.
02:02But it has, it's played havoc with, it has affected your house hasn't it, like the electrics
02:07and stuff yeah?
02:08Yes, yes.
02:09So you reckon your telly's probably a goner?
02:11The telly's, the telly's dead, all the electrics went out, the boiler's not working properly.
02:18Yeah.
02:19Um, these things can be picked up, you know.
02:24So I'm presuming you didn't just curl back up in bed and have sweet dreams after that?
02:29Just talking about it now, makes me feel a bit, bit shaky, a bit anxious like.
02:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:35Well I bet you haven't been to sleep have you since that?
02:38Well, that's not, I didn't sleep very well.
02:42Yeah, yeah.
02:43It's just, you know, is it going to happen again?
02:46I've been looking at the weather this morning.
02:48Yeah, yeah.
02:49Is it going to happen again?
02:50I guess, yeah, I guess after an experience like that, like if our era of thunderstorms
02:55come in, you don't think too much of it, but I guess you'll think a bit differently in
02:59future won't you?
03:00Well, you know, I always look at the weather forecast, but that's unexpected that was.
03:08It was down for like 20 minutes or so, then it just stopped.
03:13The day was nice.
03:14Yeah, yeah, it's crazy, you didn't really expect it, certainly, you know, in this week
03:19we've had a weather for us to be coming out to a lightning strike on a house here in Birkwood.
03:24How long have you lived here chap?
03:2516 years.
03:26Oh yeah, a few years, yeah, yeah.
03:29Well Darren's had a great response from the community in his GoFundMe and pulling together
03:34it.
03:35It warms your heart, doesn't it, when you see the community kind of pulling together.
03:38Yeah, yeah, that's what you need, that's what you need.
03:41So I guess next stage for you is sort out your lekkies, yeah?
03:45The electric's has been sorted, the boiler's been looked at, but there's still a problem
03:49with it, there's no hot water.
03:51Yeah, so that's still something you've got to sort.
03:53What if it's sorted again?
03:54Yeah, yeah.
03:55So do you think you'll sleep easy tonight, or do you think you'll have a few bizarre
04:00dreams?
04:01I don't sleep too well anyway, I'm always hungry.
04:04Yeah.
04:05First thing in the morning.
04:06Yeah.
04:07Don't need an alarm clock.
04:08Oh wow, yeah, yeah.
04:10In a bizarre twist, it's come down there, there's a bit of metal in there, so it's earthed
04:15itself on the bit of metal, that's what we think's happened, and that bit of plaster
04:20has shot right across to show us where it's ended up, kiddo.
04:27It's took a chunk out of you, hasn't it?
04:29Yeah, it's like a little shot with a pellet rifle.
04:32Look at that, that's mad, and all the debris there in the windowsill.
04:36And the thing is, I mean, you said you're almost lucky you're outside, because if you'd
04:39have been sitting on the seat there, that trajectory from the window to the wall, that
04:44would have come close enough to your head, wouldn't it?
04:46Yeah.
04:47Closer than you'd have liked.
04:48Yeah.
04:49Crazy.
04:50Andy, as we can see here, this is off your TV, isn't it?
04:54And it's popped that open and burnt out the middle of it.
04:58Yeah.
04:59Might have just saved your TV, we hope, once you've replaced that, but obviously that could
05:03have been another fire hazard there.
05:05Yes, it could have been.
05:06Scary, eh?
05:07Yeah, yeah.
05:08Luckily, though, you know, my TV should be okay.
05:12Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
05:13Fingers crossed, yeah.
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