The story

Joe Sauers doesn't get too upset when his co-workers call him "Sparky" or whenever they move away from him during a thunderstorm.

Sauers, 55, is well-known around the Savannah, Georgia, Port Authority, where he works, as the man who has survived being hit by lightning twice.

Sauers suffered serious injuries after the first strike 11 years ago. He remembers standing about a foot from a backyard tree when it was hit. "It rattles your whole body," Sauers said. "It felt like I was on fire."

He said the electrical current first hit on top of his forehead, cracking his jaw and injuring his inner ear. It traveled through his body, creating long-term damage to his kidney, and finally exiting through his right foot.

A year later, he was standing about 6 feet from another tree in his back yard when lightning stuck. The jolt blew him off his feet and knocked him unconscious for a few minutes. He suffered no major injuries. Read full article »

Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News.

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