An Alabama firefighter is feeling lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning exactly one year after he was seriously injured by a firework.

James Lawley, a firefighter in Cullman County, told NBC affiliate WVTM that he was hit by lightning on Sunday, July 5, shortly after his family had celebrated his daughter’s birthday.

Lawley said he was standing near a car and a fire truck when the lightning struck. The moment happened so fast that his memory of it is limited.

“The only thing that I remember is just, kind of grabbing my chest,” he told the outlet.

Afterward, Lawley said he remembers yelling, “I’m hit! I’m hit!”

He later learned from EMTs that he likely experienced a secondary lightning strike, rather than a direct hit.

“That’s probably the only thing that saved me,” Lawley said.

The frightening incident happened exactly one year to the day after Lawley was badly hurt by a firework. In that incident, he was hit in the face and needed stitches in his nose and mouth.

Now, after surviving another freak accident, Lawley said he is recovering and “feeling good,” though he did deal with lower back pain for about three days after the lightning strike.

He compared the soreness to the aftermath of an intense workout.

“You’ve been to the gym,” he said. “A lot of people have been to the gym. That first week after you hit the gym that tight—every time you bend over—hurting—that’s how my body felt for about three days afterwards.”

Despite the pain and shock of what happened, Lawley said he is grateful.

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He told WVTM he feels “lucky to be here” and hopes others take something from his experience.

“You never know when it’s your last day,” Lawley said. “You never know when something freak could happen. So make sure you treat every day like it’s your last day.”