Tampa lightning strike survivor speaks out amid Fort Myers Beach tragedy

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK)—A lightning strike on Fort Myers Beach killed one person and injured three others.

While direct lightning strikes are rare, Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths. WINK News spoke with a man who has survived being struck not once, but three different times.

Steve Crivello, a retired commercial airline pilot, says each experience was completely different. The first time happened thousands of feet in the air when the plane he was flying was struck by lightning.

Everyone on board felt what he described as a buzzing sensation as the lightning traveled through the aircraft. The two strikes that have stayed with him the most happened while he was on the ground.

One strike occurred while he was walking through a field in North Carolina. Another happened while he was crossing an airport tarmac in Vero Beach.

In both cases, the lightning struck nearby, and he could actually feel the electrical charge through his legs. Crivello described the intensity of one strike.

"A bolt comes down, just like almost next to us, and you felt the concussion, the noise just was indescribable," Crivello said. "I felt that going up both of my legs… and you know, to the point, to the point where you almost lost feeling in your legs."

Despite surviving all three strikes without lasting injuries, Crivello has one piece of advice. If you hear thunder, don't take chances.