By admin 
A lightning strike knocked a beachgoer unconscious at Wrightsville Beach, and the impact was powerful enough to injure someone standing nearby, according to officials in eastern North Carolina.
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Witnesses reported seeing it happened around 11:45 a.m. Saturday, as the two adults were walking near the Shell Island Resort, officials said. The resort is at the northern tip of Wrightsville Beach, which is a 130-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.
The beachgoer hit by the flash was unconscious when taken to a nearby hospital, officials said. The other victim was conscious, officials said.
Details of their condition have not been released.
“Heavy storm activity” was reported along the beach Saturday morning, resulting in lifeguards being ordered to evacuate their stands, rescue officials said. It is standard procedure for lifeguards to be withdrawn from the stands if thunderstorms are within 10 miles, town officials said.
Six people have been killed by lightning so far this year in the U.S., including an 8-year-old struck while playing in the yard, data shows.
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A single flash carries about 300 million volts and about 30,000 Amps, the National Weather Service says. By comparison, “household current is 120 Volts and 15 Amps,” the NWS says.
“Lightning is primarily an injury to the nervous system, often with brain injury and nerve injury. Serious burns seldom occur,” the National Lightning Safety Council says.
“People who do not suffer cardiac arrest at the time of the incident may experience lesser symptoms, which often clear over a few days: Muscle soreness, headache, nausea, stomach upset and other post-concussion types of symptoms.”
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