Johnathan William Koenck was driving a white Chevrolet Silverado on the I-210 bridge in Lake Charles when it was hit by a bolt of lightning on Wednesday, July 30.

His wife, Amy Talbot-Koenck, said it was struck as he just passed over the top, causing a complete power failure. She said he lost use of the windshield wipers, power steering, and could not use his gas or brakes. He was also unable to put his window down to see outside or put his hazards on.

Despite these challenges, she said, “the momentum of going down the bridge helped him get down.” Talbot-Koenck said her husband stayed calm and followed the lights ahead of him and got the truck off the first exit before rolling onto the grass on the side.

She said the bolt of lightning hit the antenna on the front side of the vehicle.

According to Talbot-Koenck, her husband did not realize his vehicle was hit by lightning at first. He believed the bridge was hit until he noticed that his vehicle had stopped working.

Talbot-Koenck’s husband said there was another lightning strike on the bridge soon after the first one.

She said he was in shock afterwards, but when it happened, adrenaline kicked in and he focused on getting off the bridge.

Talbot-Koenck said he was thankful not to be going up the bridge without power, and he feels extremely lucky, as it could have been a totally different outcome.

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