Motorcyclist recovering after crash blamed on lightning

Eugene Villines, 31, was on his motorcycle riding home from work when he was injured by lightning last Friday.

Witnesses say it appeared lightning struck Villines’ motorcycle or the road near him.

Villines crashed on Interstate 25 near 144th Avenue during rush hour.

PHOTO:According to eyewitnesses, Eugene was thrown off his bike when he was struck by lightning.

Villines doesn’t remember being hit by lightning as he passed 136th Avenue on his motorcycle.

The Villines family, including their 9-year-old son, want to gather the strangers who helped on the road, including a nurse named Margaret who they haven’t been able to contact. “He’s just so lucky to have survived this, because not many people survive getting struck by lightning and a motorcycle accident at the same time”.

“If he had gotten a direct strike of lightning into his body, we’ve seen it several times where a patient, their heart completely stops, you would have to have CPR”, Dr. Arek Wiktor said.

Villines says he wasn’t riding in the middle of a storm, and only recalls dark clouds up above during his commute. “Just count your blessings and don’t take life for granted”, Katie Villines said.

Villines ended up with broken ribs and a punctured lung, along with the entry and exit wound from the strike.

Villines was transported to University Hospital in Aurora where he was still being treated on Monday evening according to NBC 9.