PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Fire rescue officials in Palm Beach County took a person to the hospital after a tree was struck by lightning Friday afternoon.
In a written statement, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said crews were dispatched to the 6600 block of Boynton Beach Boulevard for reports of a "possible electrocution."
They said 911 callers reported that a person was struck by lightning.
When crews arrived at the scene they found a person lying underneath a tree that had been struck by lightning. Fire rescue officials said they are unsure if the patient was actually struck or was just in the very close vicinity of the lightning.
That person was triaged as a trauma alert to a local hospital. They arrived at the trauma center within 20 minutes of initial patient contact, according to fire rescue.
The condition of the victim has not been released.
The Centers for Disease Control reports on their website that more than 30 people have died from lightning strikes in Florida from 2006-2021.
The odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in a million, and almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive, according to the CDC.
