Teen hospitalized after lightning strikes family sheltering under umbrella on Florida beach

Yahoo

9 hours ago

A 17-year-old girl is in the hospital after lightning struck her and her family on a Florida beach just outside St. Petersburg.
The family of three was struck by lightning while sitting under an umbrella at St. Pete Beach on Independence Day, local outlet Bay News 9 reports. The St. Pete Beach Fire Department responded to a call about the incident just after noon local time.
The teen was taken to Tampa General Hospital. She was transported as a 'trauma alert,' which means she may have sustained life-threatening injuries.
The girl was with two adults. First responders treated them at the scene, and they refused additional medical treatment, according to Bay News 9.
Kyree Mejias told 10 Tampa Bay he witnessed the lightning strike while at St. Pete Beach with his family.
'It was so close to us, we could see the flash,' Mejias said.
'It was more or less just us trying to take care of the tent and all of that, he added. 'As soon as we felt the vibration and the shock, everybody just let go.'
The Independent has contacted the St. Pete Beach Fire Department for more information.
Florida is known as the country's 'lightning strike capital.' The state sees an average of 1.2 million strikes per year and has more lightning strikes per square mile than any other state.
Lightning strikes about 25 million times each year in the U.S., killing around 20 people annually.
Just weeks ago, 15-year-old Yassin Khalifa was also struck by lightning while under a tree in New York City's Central Park. He is expected to make a full recovery.
"I can see, but I can't talk. I can't move,' the teen recounted to CBS News New York. 'So I'm just kind of locked in my body for a second until I get into the ambulance and I feel everyone trying to shake me.'
"Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened,' he added.