Workers Survive Separate Lightning Strikes, Only Hours Apart
Two workers from Florida are hit by lightning several hours apart and survived with only minor injuries
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September 9, 2011In Broward County, Florida two unidentified workers were treated for non-life threatening injuries after being struck by lightning on August 15th.
The first unnamed man was working outside, landscaping at Indian Ridge Middle School around 2 p.m. when he was struck. He was near a chain-link fence when the current hit him.
Davie Fire Rescue Assistant Marshall Bob Taylor told reporters of the Orlando Sentinel that the 38-year-old man was “dazed and confused,” but in overall good condition.
Just two hours later, a second unidentified man was hit.
The unnamed man was operating a crane near Palm Beach County as part of the Dixie Flyover highway construction site when he was struck. He was driving sheet metal pilings into the ground with the crane raised in the air.
The large arm of the crane was a conductor for the lightning which caused the worker to suffer first-degree burns to his abdomen and right arm.
"He is in stable condition for the most part. Other than having first-degree burns, there was no blistering," Deerfield Beach Fire-Rescue Chief Chad Brocato told reporters the day of the incident.
Both individuals survived a freakish, near fatal event with minor injuries. They are now on the road to recovery but one can only imagine how wary they might be the next time they see lightning.
The chances of being struck by lightning in any given year are one in 700,000. However, there are roughly 25 million cloud-to-ground strikes in the US alone. The TSC staff has debunked ten myths concerning lightning. Additionally, there are suggestions on how to decrease your chances of being struck should you find yourself in the situation.
