MADISON – A Madison man who was struck by lightning this week says he feels “lighter and 100 years younger” than he did before Tuesday’s accident.

“I’m feeling like my body is light. It’s the best I’ve probably felt as far as energy in 10 years,” said John Corson, 56, the day after he was struck by lightning while working outside his home.

Corson thought the afternoon thunder-and-lightning storm had passed his home and had gone outside to work on a renovation project when the lightning hit him.

“It was like a whitish-blue, but it was so bright,” Corson said. “I actually heard the snap, but I was paralyzed. It was like my whole body was just vibrating. It was like, a hell of a sensation. It was like chest pain, with someone’s hand on my chest.”

The lightning left redness around his shoulders, he said. The bolt went through his body and tripped three breakers in the garage.

“My knees buckled. I was able to straighten out,” he said. “Then I was dumbfounded. Just dumbfounded.”

Corson, who has had three cardiac surgeries, spent eight hours at Redington-Fairview General Hospital after the accident while doctors tested his blood for any effect on his heart.

He thanked both AMS Ambulance and the staff at Redington-Fairview for their outstanding professionalism.