A 16-year-old is lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning. She was one of three people struck in Perth, Australia. The incident happened on February 26.
Lightning injured three people and killed a dog.
78-year-old Michael Day had been walking his dog when lightning struck them. He suffered serious injuries, and the dog, named Messi, died as a result. According to his daughter, Karen, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the man's "T-shirt had been shredded." She said he was still in a lot of pain at the hospital.
"Everyone is just shocked," she added.
Lightning Strikes Three
Poor choice of words aside, the family is going through a terrible time. But Day wasn't the only one struck. 16-year-old Georgia Rizzi and her friend had been on the tennis court when lightning struck them. Rizzi said she heard a loud bang then saw lightning strike a basketball hoop. The electricity then entered the two teens.
"I remember feeling pain on my head, and my spine vibrate," she said. "I started crying because I felt [numb] in my feet." Rizzi also noted that "everyone's hair started sticking up."
After being struck, the two struggled to stand up. They ultimately went to the hospital where they were monitored. But it appears that neither suffered serious injuries.
A spokeswoman for the WA Department of Education said, per ABC, "The department is aware of two school students in the Perth Hills who reported being struck by lightning and feeling unwell this morning. School staff responded quickly, and as a precaution, the students were taken to the hospital by St John ambulance for further assessment."
St John WA manager Deane Coxall said it was rare to have three people hit by lightning in one day.
"I've been in this job almost 15 years, and I have never heard of that happening, especially here in Western Australia," Mr Coxall said.
"It is an incredibly unfortunate and unlikely event; I would be very surprised if we ever saw it again," he added.
