Lightning struck a tree at Lake Waccamaw Wednesday, breaking windows, damaging a fence and leaving a man with a serious head injury.
The initial emergency call just after 4:30 p.m. said a victim had been hit by lightning in the area of Bartram Lane and Sandy Point Drive in Bella Coola. Lake Waccamaw Fire and Rescue Chief Jerry Gore said multiple units headed to the area on the assumption that someone had been seriously injured by a lightning strike.
The lightning did not directly impact the injured man or three co-workers, Gore said. It struck a tree near the shore, and sent debris flying in all directions. The debris damaged a fence and windows in two homes, Gore said.
The other three workers escaped unscathed.
“They were a short distance away,” Gore said. “It’s a blessing that it wasn’t worse.”
The victim was transported to New Hanover Regional with a serious head injury, Gore said. He was talking to rescuers as he was being loaded into the ambulance. A helicopter could not be dispatched because of the storm.
The victim’s name was not immediately available.
