As I suspected, ol' Ducky got the details wrong. Every article I've found says that the boy was already on the porch when it struck the tree, then jumped to him, which yes, I knew could happen. The lightning didn't strike the tree, then wait around in the tree for the boy to walk onto the porch to strike him, which was something I did not think could happen, and doesn't seem to have actually happened here anyway.
Who's your favorite character from "Bend It Like Beckham"? And you can't say Beckham.