A woman has told of her terror at having her car "go dead" on a busy Illawarra motorway after it was struck by lightning during Monday's apocalyptic electrical storm.
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Nicole Withers had been visiting her mother in Windang the afternoon of Monday, August 28, 2023, when she saw storm clouds threatening and made for her Southern Highlands home.
She thought about turning back mid-journey, but got caught in traffic on the Oak Flats interchange as the storm unleashed hell.
"It was like a war zone," a still-shaken Ms Withers told the Mercury on Tuesday.
"There was lightning everywhere. It was like a varicose vein of light and each piece was hitting the ground - hitting the hills and everything. I've lived in Darwin before and never seen anything like that."
"I actually thought to myself: 'what happens if lightning hits your car?'"
The question was answered minutes later.
Her 10-year-old Volkswagen Tiguan was travelling at 80km/h and was almost at the Albion Park turnoff when Ms Withers saw "a massive flash" to her left side.
"The flash was just so bright; the car went black," she said.
Ms Withers said her radio, headlights and seat warmer immediately went off.
The wipers kept going, but only for short while.
Ms Withers said it was only luck that kept the car moving just enough to get clear of the road. But that was when the most terrifying part began.
"Other cars slowed down at first, but then they just all kept going," she said.
"Trucks, cars, busses were just hammering along.
"I was only half a metre away from the other lane. My hazard lights worked, but I wasn't sure because I didn't want to get out of the car."
Ms Withers called her son and he came to her aid. Mother and son ended up sitting together in the car as the motorway traffic sped my.
"We don't see each other that often as we are all busy getting on with life. It was like divine intervention brought us together. We thought is this how it ends. But we got through it. Thankyou my son."
Ms Withers is waiting for insurers to assess her car, but says she expects it will be written off.
The car had a pre-existing lightning-shaped scratch under one headlight, but Ms Withers says she can see no mark from the strike.
She hopes her story will encourage drivers to slow down when they see a car stopped on the side of the motorway.
She remains thankful to the tow truck operator who took her car from the roadside.
"I thank them for their professionalism that got us out of there quick smart," she said.
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