MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. — A 12-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after being struck by lightning, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
It happened around 5:45 p.m. Monday in the Sebastian Inlet State Park area south of Melbourne Beach, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson. Local news outlet WESH said the National Weather Service pinpointed lightning in that area around that time. The area was under a moderate lightning threat during that time.
The sheriff's office said the girl was wading in the tidal pool on the north side of the park.
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office sent information that the child was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a hospital in Orlando. The girl is in "stable" condition, the sheriff's office said.
No other information was immediately made available.
Florida has consistently been one of the states with the highest amount of lightning strikes. It even topped the list of states with the most lightning-related deaths in 2021.
The National Weather Service recommends getting indoors as quickly as possible during a storm while avoiding electrical equipment or any sources of water, including baths and showers. It also suggests the following:
- Stay away from exterior windows and doors that might contain metal components leading from outside your home to the inside.
- Stay off balconies, porches and out of open garages or carports.
- Do not lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls.
- Protect your pets: Dog houses are not safe shelters. Dogs that are chained to trees or on metal runners are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes.
- Protect your property: Lightning generates electric surges that can damage electronic equipment some distance from the actual strike. Typical surge protectors will not protect equipment from a lightning strike. Do not unplug equipment during a thunderstorm as there is a risk you could be struck.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrew Polino contributed to this report.
