Terrifying moment teenage boy's 88mph golf ball is struck by lightning just a few feet away from driving range during thunderstorm
- When visiting a San Antonio Topgolf Thursday Tomas Enrique Gomez, 18, hit a 88 mph ball during a rainstorm, when it was struck by a massive bolt of lightning
- Gomez told DailyMail.com he was caught off guard by the lightning that he slipped as a reaction
- 'I was just glad that it {lightning} hit the ball instead of me,' Gomez said
- Gomez was visiting the driving range with his brother, Andres, 15, and his sister Natalia, 16, along with their three friends
- Topgolf told DailyMail that while they didn't ask guests to evacuate the overall premises, they did ask everyone to move inside following the lightning strike
- The incident occurred just as Tropical Storm Elsa plummeted through Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday, causing flooding and spawning tornadoesThis is the moment a teen was almost struck by lighting at a driving range in Texas while firing golf balls into a storm.
In a video posted to San Antonio Topgolf's Instagram page Thursday, Tomas Enrique Gomez, 18, is seen hitting an 88mph ball during a rainstorm, when out of nowhere - it was struck by a massive bolt of lightning.
Gomez told DailyMail.com he was so shocked he fell over.
When visiting a San Antonio Topgolf with friends recently, Tomas Enrique Gomez, 18 (pictured) was nearly frightened to death when his golf ball was struck by a sudden burst of lightning
In a video posted to Topgolf's Instagram page Thursday, Tomas Enrique Gomez, 18, (pictured) is seen hitting an 88 mph ball during a rainstorm, when out of nowhere - it was struck by a massive bolt of lightning
'When I saw the lightning bolt my first instinct was to run,' Gomez said. 'I slipped on the wet floor and was just happy I caught myself'
Gomez was visiting the driving range with his brother, Andres, 15, and his sister Natalia, 16, along with their three friends, Madison Gonzalez, 17, Michael Vasquez, 16 Jerry Ibarra, and Arlette Ibarra, 15, who was responsible for catching the moment on her phone.
'I was just glad that it {lightning} hit the ball instead of me,' Gomez said. Topgolf told DailyMail.com that while they didn't ask guests to evacuate the overall premises, they did ask everyone to move inside following the lightning strike.
'Immediately following the strike, we followed our safety protocol and everyone was moved inside. We typically don't have guests evacuate the building, but instead bring everyone inside until the storm passes,' a rep from the company said.
The incident occurred just as Tropical Storm Elsa plummeted through Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday, causing flooding and spawning tornadoes near the coast.
Gomez told DailyMail.com he was caught off guard by the lightning that he slipped as a reaction
In Taylor County, Florida, the storm was recorded as a 65-mph tropical storm, bringing wind gusts as high as 78 mph to parts of southwestern Florida.
The tropical storm is already responsible for at least one fatality, leaving various others injured across the Southeastern coast.
A tropical storm warning was issued in the tri-state area on Wednesday as Elsa continues to cut up the East Coast after making landfall in Florida as a hurricane earlier this week.
Tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood watches and warnings are in effect as Tropical Storm Elsa moves through the southeast
The National Hurricane center says heavy rainfall is predicted as Tropical Storm Elsa moves across North Carolina on Thursday
Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to approach New York on Friday with winds of up to 50 mph
Now meteorologists have warned residents from Washington, DC, to Philadelphia to New York City to Maine to batten down the hatches in preparation for flash flooding and potential tornadoes.
As of midday Thursday the storm was centered over the Carolinas and moving north-east at a speed of 18 miles per hour with winds up to 40 miles per hour, Accuweather reported.
Elsa is forecasted to slowly lose wind intensity while it crosses the Southeast, eventually traveling along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts into Friday.
When asked if the incident has spooked him from visiting Topgolf in the future, Gomez confirmed it hadn't.
'I will definitely be back as soon as I can,' he said.
'When I saw the lightning bolt my first instinct was to run,' Gomez said. 'I slipped on the wet floor and was just happy I caught myself.'
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