A woman struck by lightning during a family barbecue has relived the harrowing moment that killed one of her closest friends.
Amanda Hancock, 43, was at Rosanna Hashem’s Cawdor home in south-west Sydney with their families on Saturday afternoon.
As rain clouds began to roll over the property, the two women were sitting centimetres apart in the front yard trying uploading a photo they had just taken onto Snapchat as their husbands moved the barbecue undercover.
Moments later, the lightning strike caused a nearby tree to explode and a piece of wood shrapnel pierced Ms Hashem. The mother-of-four died at the scene on the eve of her 44th birthday.
Ms Hancock was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after the phone exploded in her hand due to the power surge caused by the lightning strike.
Three days on, she’s still struggling to understand how her friend died and she survived.
‘I was sitting right next to her, just 30 centimetres away. How can one person be spared?’ Ms Hancock told 7news.com.au.
‘It’s just not fair. Why her and not me?’
Amanda Hancock (left) and Rosanna Hashem (right) took this photo 10 minutes before tragedy struck
Rosanna Hashem (pictured with her family) was killed on the eve of her 44th birthday
Ms Hancock suffered serious hand and jaw injuries and has since had a finger amputated.
She doesn’t believe the tree caused her or Ms Hashem’s injuries.
Their husbands were closer to the tree but escaped with only a few minor scratches.
Ms Hancock believes that she and her friend were struck by the lightning, which she described as ‘like an atomic bomb had gone off.’
‘I remember seeing a light. It was so bright… And the noise. It was deafening,’ she recalled.
‘There was more than one (bolt) to it. It was like it branched out.’
She woke up lying on the ground to her husband pleading her to stay awake.
The families were initially supposed to celebrate Ms Hashem’s birthday at the Hancocks but relocated the party to her house, where there was a pool and more space for the kids to play.
Saturday afternoon’s storm initially only brought scattered rain and showers to the region.
Rosanna Hashem was fatally struck when lightning hit her property in Cawdor around 5.30pm on Saturday
The families were initially supposed to celebrate Ms Hashem’s birthday at the Hancocks but relocated the party to her home (pictured)
Ms Hancock said there hadn’t been any lighting or thunder in the area before the strike.
Neighbour Rob Campisi said the freak storm came out of nowhere and was unlike anything he had experienced in the ten years he had lived in the area.
‘It just started to rain, and then all of a sudden just the loudest bang we’ve ever heard,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
‘The power went out and (I was) in the shed and … I looked outside and saw a big cloud of smoke.’
Mr Campisi said the weather conditions had not seemed dangerous enough to require staying inside.
‘Sometimes you just don’t know when it’s your time,’ he said.
Ms Hashem has been remembered as a devoted wife, loving mother to four beautiful boys and a passionate business owner.
She owned The Groomery Cat Grooming Services, a business she operated from her Cawdor home.
The business remains closed until further notice.
‘This devastating loss has left a profound void in the hearts of all who knew and loved her,’ co-worker and friend Jemma Powell wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Rosanna was described as heart of her family, a pillar of strength, and a kind soul who touched the lives of so many in the community
The two women were sitting centimetres apart in the front yard when they were struck by lightning
‘She was the heart of her family, a pillar of strength, and a kind soul who touched the lives of so many in her community.
‘Her sudden passing has left her husband and children facing an unimaginable loss, not only emotionally but also financially as they navigate life without her.
‘Rosanna gave so much to those around her—now it’s our turn to give back and honour her memory.’
The fundraiser has raised almost $18,000 within three days.
