--- title: A Guy Got Struck by Lightning Twice, and His Name Happens to Be Rod description: "Everybody says I am a lucky person and I say, How can I be a lucky person?" Rod Wolfe of Chebanse, Ill., said surviving the second strike canonical: https://time.com/3937179/lightning-strikes-man-twice-rod-wolfe-survivor/ author: Joanna Plucinska article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-26T08:44:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:20.522Z og:title: Guy Gets Hit by Lightning Twice. His Name Happens to Be Rod og:description: Is it any surprise that Rod Wolfe of Illinois is nicknamed "Lightning Rod"? og:url: https://time.com/3937179/lightning-strikes-man-twice-rod-wolfe-survivor/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Guy Gets Hit by Lightning Twice. His Name Happens to Be Rod twitter:description: Is it any surprise that Rod Wolfe of Illinois is nicknamed "Lightning Rod"? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # A Guy Got Struck by Lightning Twice, and His Name Happens to Be Rod > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=49fae0ae-4530-4a51-ae01-3a66d130e033&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/) ## Joanna Plucinska Jun 26, 2015 8:44 AM UTC by [Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/) ## Joanna Plucinska Jun 26, 2015 8:44 AM UTC Is it any wonder his nickname is “Lightning Rod”? Rod Wolfe of Chebanse, Ill., was standing outside his home on June 20 when a tree next to him was hit by a lightning bolt. The charge traveled through his body but didn’t kill him, ABC 7 Chicago [reports](http://abc7chicago.com/weather/chebanse-man-survives-being-struck-by-lightning---twice/806066/). He did, however, end up in the hospital with broken ribs and some cardiac problems. Eighteen years earlier, Wolfe was hit by lightning while working in a cemetery. “Everybody says I am a lucky person and I say, How can I be a lucky person?” Wolfe told ABC 7 Chicago. “They say, Yeah, but you survived twice.” \[[_ABC 7 Chicago_](http://abc7chicago.com/weather/chebanse-man-survives-being-struck-by-lightning---twice/806066/)\] ### See the Most Insane Natural Disasters of 2014  Polar Vortex The U.S. side of Niagara Falls is pictured in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Jan. 8, 2014\. The frigid air and "polar vortex" affected about 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada. Aaron Harris—Reuters  California Drought A car sits in dried and cracked earth of what was the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir in San Jose, Calif. on Jan. 28, 2014. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  China Smog Tourists walk on the promenade along the bank of the West Lake in heavy smog in Hangzhou city, east China Zhejiang province on Jan. 31, 2014. Zhejiang Daily/Imaginechina/AP  Washington Mudslide A massive mudslide killed at least eight people and left dozens missing in Arlington, Wash., March 24, 2014. Ted S. Warren—AP  Chile Earthquake A rescue worker inspects a car caught under a landslide after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the northern port of Iquique, Chile on April 2, 2014. Cristian Vivero—Reuters  Arkansas Tornado Aerial view of the central town after a tornado hit Vilonia, Ark., April 28, 2014. Carlo Allegri—Reuters  Afghanistan Mudslide An aerial view shows the site of a landslide that buried Abi Barik village in Badakhshan province, northeastern Afghanistan, May 5, 2014\. Hundreds of people were killed and 700 families displaced. Rahmat Gul—AP  Southern California Wildfires A house is consumed by wildfire in San Marcos, Calif. on May 14, 2014\. About 500 acres have burned in the San Marcos blaze, fueled by record heat, high winds and dry conditions. At least four other fires advanced in nearby communities. Bill Wechter—Getty Images  Balkan Floods A Serbian army soldier rows a boat as he searches for people to be evacuated in the town of Obrenovac, southwest of Belgrade, Serba on May 16, 2014\. The heaviest rains and floods in 120 years have hit Bosnia and Serbia. Marko Djurica—Reuters  Lightning Hits One World Trade Center Two bolts of lightning hit the antenna on top of One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York City on May 23, 2014. Gary Hershorn—Corbis  Yosemite Wildfire A long exposure image shows the El Portal Fire burning near Yosemite National Park, Calif. on July 27, 2014. Stuart Palley  Iceland Volcano The Bardarbunga volcano spews lava and smoke in southeast Iceland on Sept. 14, 2014. Bernard Merci—AFP/Getty Images  Japan Volcano Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel and other rescuers arrive to conduct search operations at the ash-covered Ontake Shrine near the summit of Mount Ontake in central Japan on Oct. 4, 2014. Kyodo News/AP  Hawaii Lava Lava pushes through a fence marking a property boundary above the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii, Oct. 28, 2014. U.S. Geological Survey/AP  Buffalo Snow Storm Storm clouds and snow blow off Lake Erie in Buffalo, N.Y. on Nov. 18, 2014\. An autumn blizzard dumped a year's worth of snow in three days on Western New York state, where five people died and residents, some stranded overnight in cars, braced for another pummeling expected later on Wednesday. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) Lindsay Dedario—Reuters  Philippines Typhoon Hagupit A Filipino typhoon victim collects water in front of a damaged home where Typhoon Hagupit hit, Samar Island, Philippines, on Dec. 8, 2014. Francis R. 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