Man struck by lightning in Spring, Pct. 4 deputies say

SPRING, Texas (FOX 26) - A man in Spring walking his dogs was struck by lightning Thursday, and sustained "very serious injuries," but is going to survive, thanks to the efforts of some good Samaritans who rushed in to help.

Alex Coreas, 27, was walking his three dogs out of the Meyer Park Dog Park in Spring, when he was hit by lightning.

Harris County Precinct 4 deputies responded to the scene in the 16100 block Stuebner Arline near Cypresswood a little after 7:30 p.m.

A bystander who was nearby, Corey Hart, told Storyful he was waiting to pick up his daughter from the veterinary clinic when he heard the "incredibly loud sound" of the lightning strike and saw Coreas lying on the ground in the rain.

"The whole front of his shirt was burned," Hart told Storyful.

Witnesses say the dogs ran off into a nearby park when the incident happened, but they were found. 

While Coreas survived being struck, others have not been so lucky. So far this year there have been 19 lightning fatalities in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.

Lightning typically strikes tall objects such as trees and skyscrapers because their tops are closer to the base of the storm cloud, according to The National Severe Storms Laboratory.

"However, this does not always mean tall objects will be struck. It all depends on where the charges accumulate," according to the agency. "Lightning can strike the ground in an open field even if the tree line is close by.

Lightning known as a "bolt from the blue" can also strike from as far away as 25 miles away from a thunderstorm cloud, even when there appear to be clear skies, according to the NSSL.

"They can be especially dangerous because they appear to come from clear blue sky," the agency states.

Storyful and FOX News contributed to this report.