An Aussie man has narrowly escaped after a lightning struck a nearby tree, crushing his car.
In a video posted to Instagram, Simon Somervail from Mudgee, can be seen placing boxes inside his car, before returning back to his house to retrieve his forgotten wallet.
The moment he leaves his car, a lightning bolt hits a nearby tree, forcing it to come crashing down on Mr Somervail’s car.
A giant log and branches fell on top of the car and the bark of the tree trunk was thrown across the road as the tree shattered into hundreds of pieces.
“I heard this crack, like an explosion, like nothing I’ve heard or felt before,” Mr Somervail told 9News.
“I don’t know if I would have been more injured being in the car or next to it – either way it wouldn’t have been pretty.”
In an Instagram caption he wrote he was off to buy a lotto ticket after the encounter.
Commenters were shocked by Mr Somervail’s close call, as one person wrote: “Watched this like 20 times and still can’t believe it.”
“No way, this is too close for comfort,” wrote another.
A third wrote: “Oh my god, I can’t believe that is real …. So glad you’re OK! Definitely buy that lotto ticket!”
“U ain’t winning lotto u just won life,” a person expressed.
The car was written off by Mr Somervail’s car insurer after they were provided the footage captured by a nearby dashcam.
Earlier this year, residents in Sydney’s west were forced to evacuate their homes after a crane hit by lightning partially collapsed.
Thirty-five people were evacuated from a 16-unit block, several of which required emergency accommodation.
Meanwhile November saw the most lightning ever detected across Australia within one month, with Weatherzone’s Total Lightning Network detecting a total of 40,465,119 throughout the country.
This weekend while parts of NSW and Queensland are experiencing extreme heat, South Australia and Victoria are seeing some unseasonable weather on the other end of the spectrum, with temperatures below 20C and plenty of rain.
South Australia recorded its December average rainfall in the space of a day, with flood watch warnings in place across the state.
North Queenslanders are bracing for Tropical Cyclone Jasper as it continues its westward path towards the coast bringing destructive winds and potential flooding next week.