Three Survive Lightning Strike

ONECO, FL -- Monday afternoon, a Myakka City woman struck by lightning was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. Her condition is not known.

On Sunday evening around 7:48 p.m., three friends from Oneco in Manatee County were struck by lightning. The group was sitting under a tree talking. One man, 39-year-old Terry Hardison received minor injuries. The other two were transported to Manatee Memorial Hospital, including 49-year-old Corrine Solomon. She was home 6 hours later. Her friend, who goes by the name of Moose-o, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Solomon woke up Memorial Day feeling sore but grateful. "I thank the Lord I live to see another day on this earth. If not for Him, I wouldn't be here." Solomon says the lightning bolt sounded like a bomb going off.

Meanwhile, her son-in-law, Richard Davis, was in the house cooking and says the lightning strike sounded like a 12 gauge shotgun being fired. "I looked out the window [and saw] my mother-in-law was on the ground. It's a terrible thing. I advise people to stay away from under trees when it's raining."

Solomon says the jolt lifted her up and threw her onto the ground face first. "I couldn't breathe or get up," recalls Solomon.

Davis says the rain didn't start until after the lightning strike. It scarred the tall pine tree in three places.

"They were underneath a tree, one of the worst places you can be during an electrical storm," says Captain Larry Linehauser, spokesperson for Manatee County Public Safety.

Linehauser says, when a storm nears, follow the rule of 30's. "The rule of 30's, from the time you see flashes and hear the thunder, is less than 30 seconds. There's a potential for danger. Get to a safe structure."

He says the same rule of 30 applies when to give the all clear. Linehauser advises to wait 30 minutes from the last thunder storm before resuming outdoor activities.

Also, seeking refuge in a car during a lightning storm, he says, isn't completely safe. "Lightning can go through two inch tires no problem. It's the metal in the car that grounds the electricity from a lightning strike to the ground, not the tires," says Linehauser.

Once inside, Linehauser says don't touch any metal. Instead, sit keeping your hands and feet in a neutral area.

Safety experts say, better yet, head indoors - that's Solomon's plan. "That was my wake up call. No trees, no sitting under trees," she says.

Her son-in-law says he'll be keeping his kids indoors at the first sign of bad weather. "I'm afraid. I don't want my kids in this bad weather."

As for his mother-in-law, Davis says she's the "queen of the castle" and one "strong lady" he can't do without. Davis remembers praying a lot for Solomon the hours following the lightning strike.

"She's the other mother, outside of my mother, without her [I] don't think we can make it."

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