Lightning Strike Kills Boy Swimming In Pennsylvania Creek, Injures Friend
A lightning strike near the Conowingo Creek in Fulton Township in Pennsylvania has claimed the life of a young boy and injured another, reports the Lancaster Online. The report says the incident happened at around 2:30 p.m. local time Sunday. According to eyewitnesses, the lightning strike happened whilst it was still sunny and there was no warning of an approaching storm at the time of the incident. The weather did turn stormy a few minutes after the fatal lightning struck.
Emergency personnel were immediately called in following the lightning strike, and the two boys were first taken to the Lancaster General Hospital and later to the Hershey Medical Center. It was at the medical center that one of the boys was pronounced dead, says a spokesperson from the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office. Officials have not released the names, ages and the details about both the boys involved in the unfortunate mishap. The condition of the second boy admitted to the hospital has also been kept under wraps.
According to a report by ABC News, the two boys were swimming in the Conowingo Creek along with a third friend when the lightning struck without warning. There were three boys in the water when the incident happened, according to Robert Fulton Fire Chief Tracy Tomlinson. The third boy was however not hurt.
Meanwhile, the local police department while responding to the mishap have confirmed that they are not investigating the incident.
Lightning strikes while not usually dangerous, claim thousands of lives every year across the U.S. It is highly recommended that people and children stay indoors at the first signs of an approaching thunderstorm. It was just a few months ago that The Inquisitr had reported about a lightning strike mishap in southern California that injured at least 14 people. In another much talked about lightning related incident, a video showing a lightning strike as a couple was about to take a selfie went viral as well.
[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]
