The McCathie family know that lightning does strike twice. First Peter McCathie was struck, then his daughter.

But this week the Canadian family have defied the odds in another way, winning half a million dollars in the lottery.

Lightning strike survivor Peter McCathie has now won half a million dollars in the lottery. Credit:CTV News

What are the chances?

About one in 2.6 trillion, said Sophie Leger, a mathematics professor at the University of Monckton, near Quebec.