Stunning moment Mudgee driver faced death when a lightning strike exploded the tree next to his Hyundai Getz: ‘Out to buy a lottery ticket!’
Terrifying footage has captured the moment a driver dodged death when lightning struck a tree next to his parked car, sending huge branches crashing down onto it.
The shocking incident took place on a street in Mudgee, central NSW, about 270 kilometers northwest of Sydney.
Dashcam footage of the incident was captured by another vehicle parked nearby and uploaded to Instagram by the lucky driver, known only as Simon, on Thursday.
The shocking clip showed the moment the red 2009 Hyundai Getz, which appears orange in the video, was hit by the massive tree branches.
The giant logs fell on top of the car, which was parked near the curb close to the tree, when it suddenly exploded in a shower of wood and leaves as lightning struck.
Branches could be seen scattered across the top of the car and the bark of the tree trunk was thrown across the road as the tree shattered into a thousand pieces.
Moments earlier, Simon, who was wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans at the time, was seen running to his car and opening the two doors on the right side of the vehicle.
He then loaded several boxes into the back seat, closed the door and ran away, leaving the front passenger door open.
Seconds later, there was a loud bang before the tree suddenly shattered and the vehicle collapsed under the crushing weight of the falling branches.
The car was destroyed by the tree branches (photo) after the tree was struck by lightning
Moments earlier, Simon (pictured right) was seen loading a number of boxes into the car before driving away in what turned out to be a lucky escape
Moments later, Simon was seen walking back to his car and appeared shocked by the extent of the destruction he suddenly encountered.
He later posted the video of his near-terror on social media with the caption that he would now have a fate for himself after his lucky escape.
“I’m going to buy a lotto ticket,” he wrote.