'It was striking all around us': Mom recalls moment lightning struck car on I-69 with son inside

Fri, May 2, 2025 at 3:36 PM

'It was striking all around us': Mom recalls moment lightning struck car on I-69 with son inside

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. - A central Indiana mother said she's counting her blessings after lightning struck her car Tuesday morning, setting the vehicle on fire just minutes after she and her young son escaped unharmed.

Is it a case of bad luck to be struck by lightning while driving on I-69, or good luck to walk away unscathed? Karleeta Riggin said the whole experience now has her seeing the glass as a bit more than half full.

Delaware County alone sees just more than 8,000 lightning strikes every year, according to our Weather Authority Team - the vast majority of which, though, are not as destructive as the bolt that came down on Riggin's car as she drove her son to school in Muncie.

Photo courtesy of Karleeta Riggin.
Photo courtesy of Karleeta Riggin.
Photo courtesy of Karleeta Riggin.
Photo courtesy of Karleeta Riggin.
Photo courtesy of Karleeta Riggin.

"I told him, I was like, 'man buddy, this lightning is crazy.' It was just striking all around us," said Riggin.

She recalls the flashes, the "boom," and soon after, the scent of something burning, realizing she needed to evacuate during a storm on the side of the interstate.

"The thing that really stood out to me was - right after that jolt and the cracking noise, the lights on my dash just started flashing," she said.

Realizing the danger, Riggin quickly unbuckled her 5-year-old son, Jaxson, and rushed to safety toward a good Samaritan who pulled over to help mere seconds before her car went up in flames.

"We ran to this angel of a woman, and I just want to say thank you for stopping because you provided shelter for myself and my son during a terrifying moment," Riggin said.

Riggin hopes to get in contact with that driver to thank her in person.

"To be worried about being out in that storm that just caused the accident with our car - to know you stopped and helped a stranger, provided us shelter, thank you," Riggin added. "I'd love to find you and just talk to you."

She also expressed profound gratitude for first responders, who confirmed the fire was caused by a lightning strike - an unusual call for the Yorktown Fire Department.

"We go to houses that have been struck by lightning and may catch fire. We've seen trees and multiple other things, but this is the first I've seen of a car that got struck by lightning and caught fire," said Lt. Blair Webster, public information officer with the Yorktown Fire Department. "To be traveling down I-69 at highway speeds and get struck by lightning has to be one of the rarest things that can happen, I'd have to say."

Even more consequential than losing her car, Riggin said, are the lessons she'll carry the rest of her life, which she feels lucky to have kept.

"It's been a major eye-opener for me. We got to do my son's kindergarten round-up yesterday, so on top of the emotions of having your first and only child go to kindergarten, also thinking - this could possibly not be happening," she said.

For Riggin, the day now serves as a reminder not to sweat the little things because it could all change in a flash.

"It makes you want to live life," Riggin added. "That's for sure how I'm feeling right now."