LAKE MURRAY, S.C. (WIS) – A dozen people were sent to a hospital after a lightning strike at Lake Murray on Tuesday.
Lexington County Fire Chief Kyle Minick told WIS that crews responded just after 4:45 p.m. to the Dominion Beach Park and assessed 20 patients at the scene.
Minick said 12 total people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. He added the people were a mix of adults and children.
Prisma Health sent a statement to WIS confirming that they have or are currently treating 15 patients, following today’s incident.
Three adults and two children are being treated at Prisma Health Parkridge. One of them has been discharged, and the remaining four are still being evaluated at this time.
Two adults and eight children are being treated at Prisma Health Richland and Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands. Three children have been admitted, and the other patients are currently still being evaluated. No one has been discharged from those two hospitals yet.
Onlookers say they hope everyone will be okay.
“I hope everybody pulls through and everybody makes it and they’re all good and come back healthy,” said Walker Puckett, a Lake Murray visitor.
The Irmo Fire Department later released a statement on Facebook confirming the incident and providing an explanation on how it occurred.
“The bolt of lightning that hit the water energized a metal cable with buoys on it that surrounds the swimming area. Several people had swam out to the buoys and were holding onto the cable when it hit, and others were nearby swimming. Everybody got quite a jolt, we’re so fortunate that injuries were not worse than they were,” the statement on Facebook read in part.
WIS has also confirmed that the public park and beach are planned to be open on Wednesday.
This is a developing story. Stay with WIS News 10 for updates.
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