'Insanely loud and bright' Marco lightning strike scatters beachgoers near JW Marriott
First responders swarmed the Marco Island beach after a lightning bolt struck near the JW Marriott Island Beach Resort the afternoon of June 21.
Witnesses saw police, emergency medical techs and firefighters converging shortly after people rushed from the water as a flash storm broke over the beach. Despite an early report that three people were hit, "It has since been clarified that the individuals were not directly struck," wrote Marco Island Police Department Captain David Ennis in an email. "Rather, the hut they were sheltering under was struck, which resulted in minor injuries to them."
After the storm zapped their tiki, the three, all in their late 20s, were taken by ambulance to get checked out. Their injuries were minor.
"Indirect effects, such as ground current, occur when lightning strikes an object and the current travels through the ground, affecting nearby individuals," Ennis wrote.
It's a teachable moment, he says, and a reminder that lightning is nothing to be trifled with.
"Our intense summer storms can develop rapidly, and lightning is both dangerous and unpredictable," Ennis wrote. "During a storm, it is crucial to seek shelter indoors immediately and avoid standing under trees or open structures. Stay clear of electrical appliances, plumbing, and water."
In 2021, a Marco Island lightning strike claimed the life of 18-year-old William "Walker" Bethune, who was hit on Tigertail Beach.
Marco Islander Matthew Pschigoda was in the middle of it all for this weekend's storm.
Pschigoda, who works beachside at Regency Watersports near the resort, said it hit around 3 p.m.
'It built up really fast,' he said.
When the lightning alert sirens went off, the scrambling began.
'We were all closing the beach,' Pschigoda said – trying to get Jet Skis in, chairs stowed, umbrellas collapsed. With just a few chores remaining, the sky opened.
'It just starts raining sideways and it's pouring,' he said. 'Next thing you know, there's lightning all around us.'
'It was so bright … it was so close, it was so loud. It sounded like somebody was shooting a gun.'
Then, a blinding bolt struck close by Pschigoda and his colleagues. 'We felt shock waves from this lightning strike, it was so close.'
Any nearer, he said, and 'it would have probably gotten us.'
The city has installed lightning warning signals throughout the island and along the beach to alert people to potential danger, and the Marriott has a comprehensive weather safety protocol in place, according to the resort's Marketing Director Tracy Tirrell.
It includes a lightning detection system similar to those used at local parks and golf courses that sounds a long alert along with a strobe light when lightning is detected within a 10-mile radius.
"At that time, we immediately close our pools, cease beach operations, and suspend service in all outdoor areas," Tirrell wrote. "Once the threat has passed, an 'all clear' is issued via three short audible bursts and the strobe ceases. At that point, we resume normal operations, provided it is within the designated hours for beach and pool access."
The resort's website also has weather safety information available 24/7.
Does the strike change the way Pschigoda feels about lightning?
'100%," he said. "I mean, you know how it is – you're kind of like, 'I'll be all right,'' but after this, he says he'll think twice about electrical storms.
'Even my boss's son who's been there his entire life, he puts this in the top two most gnarly moments in his life.'
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Rescuers swarm Marco beach after lightning strikes tiki hut, injures 3
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