‘I touched death that day’: Man survives lightning strike that killed his friend

An Arizona man is sharing his remarkable story after he barely survived being struck by lightning last month – and a friend, who was standing right next to him, did not.

In an interview with local NBC affiliate News 12 Phoenix, Arizona, Corey Melker said that the experience left him both physically and emotionally damaged.

“[It felt like] I touched death that day,” Melker said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "[It felt like] I touched death that day," Melker said.

Melker is the founder of a meet up group that organized a backpacking trip through the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona.

An experienced backpacker, Melker said he checked the weather forecast prior to departing and saw nothing but sunny skies.

“We weren’t hearing any really clear thunder as far as right on top of us,” he said. “There was no lightning or anything.”

But by the afternoon of June 27 it had begun to rain, and the group took shelter amongst some trees. Melker said he remembers thinking it would be horrible if lightning were to strike while the group waited.

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“I stood up and I think I was going to say something to the group and I was on the ground,” he said.

Investigators believe the bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree first, before impacting 24-year-old Christine Garcia, who was standing nearby. The shock then continued on to Melker, who was standing close to Garcia.

“As soon as the lightning struck me, my lungs filled with mucus and I couldn’t breathe. I was dying, I felt it,” he said.

“At that point I was just convulsing. I felt I was going to die. I wasn’t going to make it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "At that point I was just convulsing. I felt I was going to die. I wasn't going to make it."

Other members of Melker’s group were able to find help after borrowing a car from a nearby campsite and driving until they could get cellphone service.

Melker was airlifted to a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he continues to recover from his injuries. He’s still has numerous burns and blood clots throughout his body.

“The pain itself is, even medicated, is pretty intense,” Melker said.

But he said the worst part is knowing that he lost a friend.

“I’ve never lost anybody before on a trip,” Melker said. “It’s hard knowing that.”