One person was killed and three others were injured when a group of Florida beachgoers was struck by lightning on Friday afternoon, July 3.
The beachgoers were swimming in the Gulf at Fort Myers Beach around 3 p.m. when the strike occurred.
One swimmer, an unidentified man, was struck directly and died. Three other swimmers who were wading nearby were injured and taken to a local hospital, according to Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Chief Scott Wirth.
Authorities said the three injured individuals “appear to be in stable condition,” Sarah Rodriguez of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office told The Post.
Witnesses described the moment as sounding like “an atomic bomb went off.”
“All of a sudden, it sounded like an atomic bomb went off,” beachgoer Debra Crombie told WINK News.
“I could see the flash, and I couldn’t see at that moment where it had hit, but I knew it had hit either on the beach or right at the shoreline,” she said. “It was so bright our ears hurt, our eyes were blinded by it — that’s how intense it was.”
Crombie, who was on vacation in Fort Myers Beach with her family, said one of her relatives saw the lightning strike the water before it “split in two.”
“At that point, we saw kids running off the beach back to our resort and they were screaming, and I’m like, oh boy, I bet somebody got hit,” she said.
The man who was directly struck was pulled from the water, and CPR was performed, but he was pronounced dead by the time emergency responders arrived, according to reports.
Crombie said she believes the victim may have been staying at the same resort as her family.
“We saw his child earlier in the day, and everyone was crying on and off, and I just can’t stop thinking about this family. My heart just breaks for them,” she said.
“It was supposed to be this beautiful experience on Fort Myers Beach, and now it’s not.”
