Four hikers injured when lightning strikes on Grandfather Mountain, NC official says
Several hikers were hurt Friday on Grandfather Mountain when lightning struck nearby, according to park officials.
A group of seven people were hiking near MacRae Peak in the back country of the mountain when a storm “abruptly” rolled in, said Landis Taylor, assistant vice president of marketing and communications for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.
That’s when they “felt the effects of a nearby lightning strike,” she told McClatchy News.
“Four people suffered injuries, but all seven were able to evacuate the trail on foot,” Taylor said.
According to an alert sent at 12:05 p.m. from the Local Storm Report App run by Iowa State University, one person suffered a head injury after falling and a second was burned. All other injuries were reportedly minor.
The alert also said someone had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital, which Taylor refuted.
“That individual was able to walk off the trail to responders who began assessment,” she said.
A team from the Stewardship Foundation as well as several emergency management groups helped in the incident , according to Taylor.
At least seven people have died from lightning strikes in 2021, including a 15-year-old girl who was swimming on Tybee Island in Georgia and a 37-year-old man hiking in California.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Four hikers injured when lightning strikes on Grandfather Mountain, NC official says."
