Reeboks save boy’s life in lightning strike

LONDON, DECEMBER 29: A boy in England was saved by his new Reebok running shoes–a Christmas present from his mother–when lightning struck him as he chatted to his girlfriend on the phone, according to a published report on Wednesday.

Alex Derrick, 15, was talking to Rachael Wellington in the hallway of his home when a thunderbolt shot down the line, said the report in the Daily Telegraph. He told the London paper a huge shock made him yell with pain and drop the phone as sparks flew off his nearby mountain bike. But the charge was dissipated by the rubber soles of his shoes.

Alex said he heard a crash of thunder and felt a shock shoot up his arm as the hallway fuse box blew out, his bike glowed bright blue and the house lights went out. Alex was later checked by a nurse, a family friend, who said his trainers had saved him.

Alex, of Bristol, said, “I feel very lucky to be alive. My Reeboks will definitely be my lucky trainers now. I will treat them with a lot of respect.”