James Bady News Today

Zealous — some say arbitrary — code enforcement has divided this small north St. Louis County community into two camps, split right down the middle.

>> the lightning bolt hit those two vents right up there, according to one. of the guys who saw it. >> james believes the charge must have travels down the vent, across the parking lot, through the water pooling on the ground, straight into his kick stand. >> i didnt realize that my bikes kick stand was standing in a puddle. >> the same water that was pooling around the chimney seeks to have conducted the lightning into his bike. >> im just glad i wasnt hit by the bolt itself. that was -- that w...

I pushed my bike underneath the awning of this hotel. i thought, ill be safe here. no problem at all. im covered. >> james is wrong. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> there was just this huge bang and a flash. >> its like a sonic experience. bursting through you. >> the next second all hell broke loose. >> damn it! holy [ bleep ]. >> so i feel -- >> i still feel really shaky. im not trying to be overdramatic or anything but my spine feels lit up. im trying to understand what happened. not only a bolt has go...

Carburetor because it was just leaking gas nonstop. i pushed my bike underneath the awning of this hotel. i thought, ill be safe here. no problem at all. im covered. >> james is wrong. holy [ bleep ]. >> there was just this huge bang and a flash. >> its like a sonic experience. bursting through you. >> the next second all hell broke loose. >> damn it! holy [ bleep ]. >> so i feel -- >> i still feel really shaky. im not trying to be overdramatic or anything but my spine lit up. >> im trying to un...

That climbed up. >> word quickly gets out. >> i see him way up there now. he is just about to the top where the wires are. >> okay. >> got to hurry. >> in no time, john is 120 feet up. along with his older brother, james. >> he went straight up. i was trying to calm him. look at me. >> when he got to the top he took his glasses off so he couldnt see how far down it was. >> their father, byron, hears the news a traffic report and races home. she gets alerted at work by police. >> as i was driving...

Upon you like that. i got lucky. >> james bady is an avid dirt biker who along with his brother is busy filming an adventure movie. >> all right, 210 miles of dirt today. >> no rest for the weary, right? >> not foo f were going to cross all of the mississippi. >> im a filmmaker working on a documentary called, road less traveled. it follows myself and my brother as we ride motorcycles across off road america. >> matthew is a sin ming to ra fer. >> we were in a small town in colorado. one of the ...

>> reporter: for sandra mcneil that day would be the longest of her life. >> i was just going on adrenaline. it was -- kind of -- makes your heart sink to see your boys up there. >> what unlikely turn of event was draw two boys to this terrible brink? the answer has everything to do with the special bond they share. 10-year-old john has autism. his brother, james, 17, is devoted to his little brother. >> he was his brothers keeper because he loves his brother, because he had been put in a positi...

Right over the backyard fence, there was a 120-foot power tower. there was a green belt behind the house with a series of electrical towers. and john had started to climb them. >> so far, john has only managed to get up the scaffold and ground level before his family coaxed him down. but that day with both parents away at work, he ventures higher. >> john recently discovered the spikes on the side of the tower. about 20 feet up. so he was able to maneuver the tower. and climb up to those spikes....

Must have travels down the vent, across the parking lot, through the water pooling on the ground, straight into his kick stand. >> i didnt realize that my bikes kick stand was standing in a puddle. >> the same water that was pool willing around the chimney, conducted the lightning into his bike. >> im just glad i wasnt hit by the bolt itself. that was -- that was some pretty scary stuff. >> james feels like himself again only after a few minutes, but the experience leaves him shaken. >> it has b...

His sense of adventure and lack of sense of danger, its like having a 2-year-old. >> one of his favorite fixations -- >> hes always liked to climb. right over the backyard fence, there was a 120-foot power tower. there was a greenbelt behind the house with a series of electrical towers. and john had started to climb them. >> so far, john has only managed to get up the scaffolds at ground level before his family has coaxed him down. but that day, with both parents away at work, he ventures higher...