Jul 21, 2008 11:23 pm US/Eastern
7 Still Hospitalized After Lightning Strike
Men Were Seeking Shelter Under A Tree In Franklin Park
DORCHESTER (WBZ) ―
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Several people standing under a tree at Franklin Park were injured when lightning struck.
WBZ
Seven people injured in a lightning strike in Dorchester remained hospitalized Monday night, four of them in intensive care. Ten people in total were injured while seeking shelter under a tree in Franklin Park on Sunday.
The injured range in age from 13 to 44, and all had injuries consistent with a lightning strike, according to authorities. Those injuries include burns and heart trouble.
The victims, all boys and men, were attending a soccer match when the storm rolled in around 3:30 Sunday afternoon. They sought shelter from the storm under a large tree - the tallest in the immediate area.
According to witnesses, a lightning bolt hit the tree, knocking several people under it unconscious.
When paramedics arrived, one man was in cardiac arrest and three were still unconscious. Many of the conscious victims were complaining they could not move. Ambulances transported ten people to four area hospitals.
Three were treated and released from the hospital. Four of the seven still hospitalized were being treated in Intensive Care Units.
"I've been doing this for 28 years and I've never seen this type of incident before," said dispatcher David McClelland, who took in the 911 calls.
While experts warn that seeking shelter under a tree in a lightning storm is dangerous, so is standing in an open field - like a soccer field. Lightning tends to hit the highest object, like a tall tree, or a person in an open field.
Experts say the best thing to do if you are outdoors in a lightning storm is to seek shelter inside a building or car. If that is not possible, get as low as you can and have as little contact with the ground as possible - for example, crouch in a ball with only your feet on the ground.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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