How much does it cost to deal with lightning hit my tree — is it going to die, and is it safe to be under??

Two separate jobs, usually. The safety visit is priced like storm work — climbing instead of a bucket if the drive is blocked with debris, rigging over a roof, and off-hours rates if a limb is hanging over a driveway. The second cost, if it comes, is removal, and a lightning-struck tree is a more expensive removal than a healthy one of the same size: internally fractured wood is unpredictable to cut, may not be safe to climb, and can force a crane. Ask whether the assessment is a separate charge and whether it credits toward the work. Watch for the reverse of an upsell too — an outfit quoting removal from the truck window on the day of the strike, with no wait-and-see option, is not offering the standard of care.