11 Struck by Lightning in Florida
Lightning struck a busy beach on Monday, injuring seven tourists. Elsewhere in the state, four other people were hit by lightning and a plane carrying the governor was struck.
The most seriously injured victim was 14-year-old Kristen Abell from Louisville, Ky.
“She was walking next to me, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground,” said Wendy Haedtler, 26, of Louisville, who brought Kristen along to help care for her two young children.
Kristen was hospitalized in critical condition. Haedtler and her husband were treated and released.
Between 300 and 500 people were on the beach when the small, fast-developing storm formed about noon, said Okaloosa County emergency manager George Collins.
“It caught everybody off guard. . . . You could hear your hair sizzle; it was that close,” said beach attendant Tom Curry.
Earlier Monday, Gov. Lawton Chiles’ state plane was struck by lightning as he flew from Tallahassee to Tampa, but there were no injuries and only slight damage to the aircraft.
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