It also, starts fires, and many people die from those fires. In a herd of cows, one out of a dozen or more might be struck. The others are untouched. Lightning also does strange things. It can explode a tree.
Lightning heats the sap in the tree trunk.
The sap changes to steam. The steam expands and blows the tree apart. Sometimes when it's stormy, you don't see any streaks of lightning, but the sky lights up occasionally. It means the storm is very far away, too far for you to see the streaks, and perhaps so far you don't hear any thunder either.