Published on : Monday, July 22, 2019
Four, including the man who was directly struck, went to Morton Plant Hospital. The fifth person was taken to Tampa General Hospital.
The injured were on the beach at the time of the strike, near Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill.
Newland and his team of first responders was aided by a group of bystanders who rushed into the storm to bring the victims into Frenchy’s — and out of harm’s way.
Bystanders performed CPR on the man who was directly hit, before first responders arrived.
The lightning struck at about 12:40 p.m., ten minutes after beach lifeguards left their stations because of the bad weather as per the Clearwater release.
The incident shows how important it is for beachgoers to be aware of extreme weather warnings. Visitors and tourists should be aware of the weather warnings before hitting the beaches.
Tags: Clearwater beach, lightning