Lightning Strikes Injure at Least 15 in 3 States

Published: Jul 19, 2013, 7:23 AM EDT Associated Press

WELLINGTON, Colo. -- Nine people working at a Colorado farm were injured by a lightning strike Thursday, two of them critically and four seriously, a fire official said.

The incident came as two other lightning strikes in Colorado and Montana left people injured, and as firefighters battled lightning-sparked wildfires across the West.

Wellington Fire Protection District Chief Gary Green said the critically injured farm workers weren't responding appropriately to questions and had weak muscles and tingling or loss of feeling after the strike. However, everyone was breathing and had a pulse, he said. Three workers were able to leave in personal vehicles.

(MORE: Fishing Tops Lightning Deaths Nationwide | Electrifying Truth About Lightning)

Recent Lightning Strikes

Also Thursday, a 65-year-old woman was struck by lightning near a trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The National Park Service said the woman was taken to Estes Park Medical Center. Her condition wasn't immediately released.

In Montana, two adults and a child were injured Wednesday after lightning struck near them as they hiked on a trail in Glacier National Park.

The three remained hospitalized Thursday in serious but stable condition, officials at Kalispell Regional Medical Center said.

Glacier Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said the man and woman, both 23, and the 11-year-old boy initially were unconscious and not breathing after the lightning strike. She said other visitors in the area quickly responded.

"Some bystanders performed CPR, which was a life-saving measure," Germann told The Daily Inter Lake.

The boy was airlifted to the Kalispell hospital, and an ambulance transported the adults.

Hospital nursing supervisor Tracy Keller said the lightning didn't directly hit the hikers so they weren't burned. But Keller said the three suffered effects from the noise and electrical field.

Hospital spokesman Jim Oliverson declined to comment on the nature of their injuries but said the typical manifestation of such an injury is being confused.

Green said if people see lightning and can't seek shelter, they should try to squat or get low to the ground.

In Florida, two 16-year-old males fell from a 25-foot tall ficus tree that was struck by lightning in Cooper City. Local media reports that the victims were transported to a hospital.

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