Latest news with #TampaGeneralHospital
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Pennsylvania man called for beheading of Florida hospital CEO with guillotine, officials say
A man from Oakmont, Pennsylvania, is accused of threatening and harassing the CEO of Tampa General Hospital in Florida. In a news release on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said 63-year-old Lawrence Brunn was charged with cyber harassment in connection with the CEO, identified as "J.C." The U.S. Attorney's Office said Brunn has been harassing the CEO of Tampa General Hospital "at least as far back" as 2023. The news release said his online harassment escalated in frequency and intensity over the last two years, including Brunn calling for the execution of the CEO and his beheading with a guillotine. One post said the CEO "should have his head chopped off" and he "should be scared…of we the people," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The Pennsylvania man is also accused of sending mail to the CEO's residence, his neighbors' homes and the Tampa General Hospital board of trustees. According to the court filing, the CEO feared for his life and the lives of his family members. Since the threats, the CEO has employed a full-time security detail to monitor his home and his travels, the federal complaint said. Officials said Brunn previously worked with the CEO at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida, and he was fired in 2014 after he falsely accused the hospital's chief financial officer of embezzling funds. After his firing, authorities said he harassed Jupiter Medical Center, leading to a lawsuit. If convicted of cyber harassment, authorities said the Pennsylvania man faces up to five years in prison. The FBI investigated the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Oakmont is about 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
3 family members struck by lightning on Florida beach; 17-year-old girl hospitalized
A family of three was struck by lightning while under an umbrella at a beach in Florida's Pinellas County, officials said Friday. St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue was dispatched to the scene at 12:19 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Adam Poirrer said. Multiple units from the fire rescue team and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office responded and rendered emergency aid, Porrier said. Two adult victims were treated on-scene and refused further treatment. A 17-year-old girl was taken to Tampa General Hospital. There was no immediate update available on her condition. CBS affiliate WTSP reported that the family had been standing under their umbrella during a thunderstorm. Jennifer Tillman said she saw the whole thing from her apartment overlooking the beach. "You could hear it, it was coming closer and closer and closer, and then it happened," Tillman told WTSP. "I don't know, I don't know. It was just one of those things, I don't know, that you can never - you can't unsee." Tillman said that a Good Samaritan picked up the girl after the lightning strike. She said the other two people appeared to be in shock after the strike. Images from the scene showed the family's umbrella singed and snapped in half, with other belongings damaged by the lightning strike. Dead gulls were also visible in the area. The safest place to be during a lightning storm is inside, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recommends against carrying any metal objects, including umbrellas. Metal can conduct electricity, and a person is more likely to be struck by lightning if carrying a conductor above shoulder height. "If you are out on the beach or anywhere with an umbrella that is taller than you, you are literally creating a lightning rod," WTSP meteorologist Bobby Deskins said. Tillman said that just hours after the incident, the storm had cleared out and new beachgoers had come to celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks. "A whole new wave of people came," Tillman said. "Like nothing had ever happened." St. Pete Beach is a small city on a barrier island in Pinellas County, about 20 miles southwest of Tampa.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen hospitalized after lightning strikes family sheltering under umbrella on Florida beach
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.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen hospitalized after lightning strikes family sheltering under umbrella on Florida beach
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.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen hospitalized after lightning strikes family sheltering under umbrella on Florida beach
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.
