Injury-prone man zapped by lightning

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The self-proclaimed unluckiest man in the world said he was again hospitalized after lightning struck his Florida home while he was on the phone.

John Wade Agan, 47, whose previous hospitalizations were for conditions including a butcher knife to his chest, injuries from being robbed at gunpoint in his taxi cab and shoved in the vehicle's trunk, and being bitten by two snakes at the same time -- a claim that has drawn some doubt from experts -- said lightning struck his home Tuesday while he was using a corded phone, leading him to black out, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.

Agan, who was taken to Tampa General Hospital, said he woke up surrounded by paramedics with a hole burned in his sock.

Agan said he knows his injuries have drawn skepticism before, and lightning-strike injuries are difficult to prove, but he stands by his claims.

Lightning experts said injuries from talking on a corded phone during a storm are not unusual.

"It's certainly possible," said Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, a researcher in the field of lightning injuries.