A teenage couple survived being struck by lightning as they walked along a residential street in the US because they were holding hands, a doctor has said.
Dylan and Lexie, who have only been identified in media reports by their first names, were making their way along a street lined with trees in Claremont, California, when the lightning bolt hit them this week as thunderstorms ravaged the town.
They were immediately thrown to the ground and were left staring at each other in bewilderment, according to reports.
A passer-by later told them that he had seen the lightning bolt hit them.
The lovebirds were assessed for potential injuries at their local hospital, but a doctor said they survived unscathed because the lightning bolt's electrical current had been "diffused" by them holding hands.
Describing the bizarre incident in an interview with CBS Los Angeles, Dylan said: “It was more of just kind of shove, you know, and it felt kind of like I was getting hit over the head with metal or something."
Lexie said: “It was definitely weird. I kind of thought there was an earthquake.”
Scientists estimate the chances of being hit by lightning are around one in a million.
Dr. Stefan Reynoso from Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center told CBS Los Angeles: “These two were lucky they that they were holding hands. It helped to diffuse the electrical current that ran through their bodies."
