BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old girl, recovering in an Orlando hospital from a lightning strike, marks the second person in Brevard County to be struck in less than six months.
The girl was around the tidal pool area on the Brevard County side of the Sebastian Inlet State Park when that lightning strike happened shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, said Tod Goodyear, public information Officer for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. Part of the park is in Indian River County.
It's described as a wading area, that's not very deep, just off of the inlet at the cut-through where the water comes up.
"The girl was found somewhat responsive at the scene," Goodyear said.
Goodyear said the girl is in stable condition.
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"You heard the noise," Elizabeth Gerhard said. "It sounded...I thought our camper got hit, it was that loud. And the next thing I see is our park ranger, he went flying down there and I knew something had happened."
Florida leads the country for the most lightning deaths, averaging five per year, according to the National Weather Service, There were 56 in the last 10 years.
According to data from Vaisala, Florida also leads the country for the most lightning strikes per area, with 474 in 2022.
Brevard County has historically been a hot spot for lightning injuries and deaths.According to data from the National Weather Service,from 1959-2007, there were 25 deaths from lightning strikes and 80 injuries, accounting for 30% of deaths in the state, and 25% of injuries, by far the most of all Florida.
In April, authorities said a 39-year-old man was killed by a lightning strike while on a boat.
“It’s scary. Because you can get hit by lightning anywhere any time," said Gerhard.
Gerhard and her husband David are no strangers to lightning strikes. Their daughter's best friend was struck and killed in Colorado.
"Yeah, I'm about to cry," said Gerhard, getting emotional.
Brian Hammerman and his family were wading in the inlet Tuesday, and said they saw the storm as it was approaching.
"We were in the pool yesterday and we got out, we saw the storm coming," Hammerman said. "The storm was pretty on top of us pretty quickly."
Hammerman said his kids got out of the pool just before the lightning struck, and was thankful they did.
"Absolutely because before you knew it was right there. It was right there," Hammerman said.
The National Weather Service said no place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area, and offers these tips to stay safe:
- If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
- When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
- Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
For more information on how to be safe during storms, click here.
