OXFORD — Anna Richards was trying to retrieve her daughter’s small, pink bicycle in a wind storm Tuesday afternoon when she was struck by lightning at her home at 309 King St.

Richards was treated and released from Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

On Wednesday, her ankle was numb and she had a headache, the only symptoms left from the jolt of electricity.

The sound of chain saws could be heard Wednesday as nearby residents cleared debris and recovered from the sudden, wild storm that ripped down dozens of trees amid drenching rain, hail and bolts of lightning.

Tree-lined King Street, packed with residential homes, was especially hard hit and rescue crews were forced to wait out the worst of the storm in their vehicles because conditions were too dangerous.

And, in the middle of it all, Richards ran out to save the bike from the fierce gales that threatened to carry it off. 

“Everybody has been around to ask after me. It’s a little embarrassing,” Richards said.

She said she remembers leaving the house during the storm, walking 15 feet from her door to the edge of the cement slab where the bike lied. She heard a big crack, her left leg went numb and she blacked out.

“It was the loudest noise I’ve heard in my life,” she said.

Richards came to a moment later, confused about what had happened, she said. A family member called for emergency crews.

“It’s so weird. I didn’t really know what had happened. Who gets hit by lightning?” she asked.

Her daughter played outside as she spoke Wednesday, whacking downed tree limbs as though they were nothing.

Richards said she feels grateful to be alive.

“It was just so random,” she said.

ccrosby@sunjournal.com