CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man was setting up a tent when he was reportedly hit by lightning south of the Padre Island National Seashore on Wednesday afternoon.
CCFD Asst. Fire Chief Billy Belyeu told 3NEWS the 27-year-old man was next to the tent, and when the lightning made contact with the tent pole, he was thrown by the electricity created by the impact.
The incident happened at about 3:20 p.m., according to Kleberg County Sheriff Richard Kirkpatrick. He said that the man was conscious and breathing, but in in severe pain.
Belyeu said that entrance and exit wounds are commonly found on lightning-strike victims' bodies, but paramedics did not find any on the patient.
"It sounds like the lightning actually struck the tent that he was setting up on the beach," Belyeu said.
The man was driven to the PINS Visitors' Center by a private vehicle, where he was met by Corpus Christi Fire Department EMS and taken to a local hospital.
The man and his family were visiting from Dallas and planned to spend a couple of days fishing at the beach. This drastically took a turn when it started to rain this afternoon.
First responders described the scene, which was about 44 miles south of the PINS entrance, when lightning struck the beach.
"They heard a loud boom, saw him fall down and he said that they immediately ran to him," said Joseph Rodriguez, CCFD Captain.
When they got there, he was awake and without any signs of injuries. Rodriguez said that the man was shaken up and described pain in his hands. When CCFD Station 15 arrived at the scene, he said that the man was alert and fine after his close encounter with lightning.
"He was really lucky," Rodriguez said. "It could have been a lot worse."
Rodriguez explained what people should do when bad weather arrives while fishing on the beach.
"Wait it out before you go out there," Rodriguez said. "Or at least stay in a safe spot, stay in your vehicle if you're already out there."
Kelly Taylor, public information officer at the Padre Island National Seashore, added that people should always be weather aware. She described what to do the moment you see lightning in your area if you are outdoors.
"Immediately seek shelter—particularly inside of a vehicle is ideal," Taylor said. "If, for some reason, you can't get into a vehicle, you want to lay as flat as you possibly can and get out of the way."
Belyeu said that the man was conscious when he was put in the ambulance, and is currently in stable condition at the hospital.
A cold front blew into South Texas on Wednesday afternoon, and lightning could be seen on radar about 30 miles south of the PINS entrance.
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