A man got electrocuted while playing games on a console with a wired controller during a storm when lightning struck the ground near his home. 

It’s probably one of the rarest and most bizarre ways to get electrocuted by lightning through a game controller.  

As reported by WKRN, the man was playing games after dinner and when he was electrocuted he had to call emergency services for assistance.  

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 "Josh Rice, the Assistant Director of Robertson County Emergency Medical Services told News 2 that medics had responded around 9:15 p.m. Saturday to a call of a man struck by lightning in Greenbrier.  

When crews arrived, they said they determined the man’s house was either hit or the lightning struck nearby, and he suffered a shock through a video game controller.” 

The freak accident took place over the weekend and took place during a storm in Robertson County, Tennessee. 

Luckily the man was able to call emergency services after the incident. Medical staff did an initial check-up and was found to be uninjured. He did not need to be transported to the hospital for any further assistance.  

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This is not the only time a gamer has been shocked via a game controller due to a lightning strike. 

Last year, Karma, a professional Rocket League player was also shocked during a storm while holding a wired controller. 

While using a wireless controller does help in preventing these incidents, older consoles tend to only use wired controllers. It is also worthy to point out that professionals prefer to use wired controllers for gaming due to latency issues.  

In Karma’s incident, she suffered burns to her hand after getting the shock and even melted the USB port on the controller. 

Thankfully, the Robertson County incident did not result in the man getting any burns or frying any of the equipment he was using.  

Lightning strikes can cause damage to electronics, gaming consoles and other kinds of equipment if certain precautions have not been taken. One of the more common ways for a nearby lightning strike to enter homes is via wires or pipes that extend outside the home.  

The energy from these strikes can travel through communication wires such as phones, cable TV or internet, from a home’s electrical panel or through conductive metal found in plumbing. This is why it is essential to invest in surge protectors that protect your electronics and yourself from such freak incidents. 

Images for representational purposes only.

Source: WKRN

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