SoCal truck driver says he’s thankful to be alive after being struck by lightning in Iowa, sparking big rig fire

SHELBY, Iowa () — A truck driver from Santa Clarita says he’s thankful to be alive after being jolted awake by a lightning strike.

David Rodriguez told Eyewitness News he was sleeping in his semi-truck at a rest stop in Iowa as he conducted his delivery route from Southern California. He was near the Nebraska border around 5:30 a.m. Thursday when he heard the loudest bang of his life.

“It was just a crazy bang. I mean, the way I can explain it, it’s like if I put you in a bathroom and I set off a Disneyland firework,” Rodriguez said.

He said he didn’t realize what happened at first, until he noticed that his truck was on fire.

“First thought was, ‘Oh, I just got hit by another semi-truck.’ And then, obviously, I woke up. There’s lightning outside. I look at the roof, and it’s on fire, like instantly. Then it clicked, like, ‘Oh my God, I just got struck by lightning,'” Rodriguez said.

Thankfully, Rodriguez said he wasn’t hurt, but was certainly rattled by the strike.

“I didn’t have time to get the fire extinguisher. I just hopped out of the truck, knocked on another trucker’s door, and he helped me call 911,” Rodriguez said. “I tried to stay calm. I was perfectly fine, somehow.”

He said his truck appears to be a total loss. He was on his way back to Southern California on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, his trucking company finished delivering a fleet of cars for him.