NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A day of fun in the Florida sun took a dangerous turn in a matter of seconds when a man in the water felt a sudden strike from the sky.
A calm Friday afternoon at New Smyrna Beach turned to chaos after a bolt of lightning hit the victim, witnesses and authorities said,
“I saw lightning strike, like on the beach,” said witness Pepper Pyle.
“It was the most crackling electrical hit you could imagine. I mean, like fierce,” said witness George Kirk.
“It was pretty terrifying,” said witness Patrick Eichstaedt.
According to Volusia County Beach Safety, a 29-year-old man from Colorado was struck while standing in just ankle-deep water, just before 12:30 p.m.
“Then I heard ‘help.’ They were screaming, ‘Help! Somebody’s been struck,'” said Pyle.
Eichstaedt said he saw what happened from out on his surfboard.
“That guy was, what I could tell, was in the water, and somebody tried to drag him out, and then they got help,” he said. “Next thing you know, the lifeguard’s here and paramedics and everybody.”
First responders wasted no time to jump into action.
“He was pretty far away, but I knew it was bad, ’cause they started chest compressions immediately,” said Eichstaedt.
Volusia County Beach Safety Deputy Chief A.J. Miller said a nurse who was nearby when it happened was the first to start CPR.
“Bystanders rushed to his aid, pulled him up to the water’s edge, There was someone on scene that initiated CPR while the lifeguard nearby, who was over 300 feet away, was notified,” said Miller.
The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Officials said the lightning caught a number of beachgoers by surprise.
“It was clear blue sky, and the storm was like miles away from us,” said Pyle.
Officials said the lightning strike at the beach was about four miles away from the actual storm.
Miller said this strike is what they call a blue sky lightning strike.
“The National Weather Service states that strikes can happen up to 20 miles outside. I mean, that’s very far outside the leading edge of a storm,” he said.
Two other people were indirectly struck by lightning that day while out golfing nearby. Neither of them had to be taken to the hospital.
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