Woman and 3-year-old boy struck by lightning
A lightning strike seriously injured a 3-year-old boy and his 21-year-old babysitter at a Bucks County swim club yesterday afternoon. Three hours later, a bolt struck a Delaware County police officer.
A lightning strike seriously injured a 3-year-old boy and his 21-year-old babysitter at a Bucks County swim club yesterday afternoon. Three hours later, a bolt struck a Delaware County police officer.
Bridget Gallagher was watching the child at the Brookside Swim & Tennis Club in Lower Makefield Township when a severe thunderstorm blew through shortly after 3 p.m.
Gallagher, of Lower Makefield, was carrying the boy toward one of the club's buildings to take shelter, police said, when a lightning bolt struck a nearby tree and transferred to them.
They were treated at the scene by the Yardley-Makefield rescue squad, then taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township.
The scope of their injuries was not clear yesterday, but police said Gallagher appeared to be hurt more badly than the boy. She was later transferred to Temple University Hospital's burn unit, and a St. Mary official said there were plans to move the boy to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
About three hours after the incident in Bucks County, a Bethel Township police officer was hit by lightning after a bolt struck the roof of the Bethel Fire Station on Foulk Road, then struck the officer, said Bethel Fire Chief Mike Heacock. The officer, who was not identified, had been talking to a group of firefighters and was knocked off his feet by the impact.
The officer was knocked unconscious and taken to a local hospital.
"The guys that were here and saw it were pretty shaken up about it," Heacock said.
The officer is expected to make a full recovery, Heacock said.
Last night's lightning, which traveled through the region for hours, was dramatic but by no means uncommon, said Dean Iovino, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
"You're going to see that in July, when there's humidity like we've been having," Iovino said.
During electrical storms, the Pennsylvania Health Department recommends avoiding water, metal objects and open spaces, and seeking protection in enclosed buildings.