American Kent Lilyerd was struck by lightning on Friday after trying to protect his prized garden furniture.
Doctors at Kanabec Hospital, Minnesota, said he was lucky to survive the incident; he was in and out of consciousness for more than two hours, and added that his wet clothing probably saved him.
He had worn a hat with a metal button on the top which acted as a conductor to the lightning bolt, but because his clothes were wet it didn't travel through his body.
"It was just like a flashbulb going off and that's the last thing I remember," the victim said. "Going down with the gazebo in a pile."
Nearly 100 people a year are killed by lightning strikes in the US. It is not known how many of these are furniture-related.
American Kent Lilyerd was struck by lightning on Friday after trying to protect his prized garden furniture.