9 Campers Injured by Lightning Strike

At least nine campers on an annual Orange County family outing near Big Bear Lake Sunday were struck by lightning which arced from a tree into a campsite where the group had taken shelter from a heavy hail storm, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service reported.

Most of the injured men, women and children were taken by ambulance to nearby Bear Valley Hospital where a nursing supervisor said they were in good condition. “Everybody’s fine,” the supervisor said.

Two more seriously hurt campers were flown by San Bernardino County sheriff’s helicopter to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Loma Linda nursing supervisor Teressa Mikesell said both were in stable condition.

The sole casualties were two family dogs.

Capt. Bob Buhrle of the California Department of Forestry said the accident in the San Bernardino National Forest occurred at about 1:30 p.m. when about 20 members of a larger group gathered under an awning attached to a tent trailer to escape a sudden, heavy hail storm.

Lightning struck a tree 10 to 15 feet from the trailer, “spiraled down” the tree trunk and jumped “right into the crowd of people,” said Buhrle. “It just jumped out of the tree and right into the people.”

Buhrle said one woman had a bad burn on her hip and others were in shock.

“It must have been a mini explosion or a big jolt because we all went down like dominoes,” said Mary Woodbury, 41, of Orange. “It looked as if we all got hit by a bowling ball.”

She said one woman, Ginger Dodier, 29, and her niece, Amy, 6, of Westminster, were knocked unconscious. The child later suffered convulsions. They were taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center where they were reported in stable condition.

The injured belonged to a group of about 35 aunts, uncles, cousins and a few family friends, most from Orange County, who spend holiday weekends twice a year in tents at the Juniper Springs campground, said Woodbury’s stepdaughter, Regina Woodbury from her home in Orange.

“They go up every year,” said Regina Woodbury. “They go Memorial Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.” The campground is about seven miles east of Big Bear Lake. Regina Woodbury said some in the camping group drove up Thursday night and others joined them for the long weekend Friday.

“We’ll never go back there,” said Mary Woodbury.

The injured, aside from Mary Woodbury and Ginger Dodier and her niece, were Mary Woodbury’s daughter, Melissa, 7, Kevin Dodier, 2 months, and Ginger Dodier’s sister-in-law, Ann Dodier, 31, of Hesperia. Three family friends, Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy John Gentile, 29, Kristern Southern, 23, and Johanna Dalton, 31, all of Westminster, also were injured.

Gentile’s mother, Lenore Gutierrez of Westminster said Sunday night she still was waiting to hear from her son. “All I know is that he went up camping with friends,” she said. Gentile has been in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for about 5 years.

Lt. William Francis of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Gentile “received a glancing blow” from the lightning. “He was feeling chest pains and nausea but he was OK and refused medical treatment,” Francis said.

It was the second time this summer that lightning struck a large group of California campers and hikers. On July 14, one man was killed and four others injured at the summit of Mt. Whitney when lighting struck a group of 16 hikers taking shelter in a hut.

Staff writer Wendy Paulson in Orange County contributed to this story.