Lightning victim’s hands badly burned

Woodbridge, Va. – It could take up to a year for a man who was struck by lightning Sunday to make a full recovery.

The 47-year-old victim, Steve, and his wife were visiting the area last week and were two of the eight passengers aboard a 44-foot boat that cruised on the Potomac River last weekend, said the boat’s captain, and Steve’s brother, Terry.

Terry did not provide his last name, lives in Prince William County, and said his training in first aid and CPR allowed him to help his brother after he was struck by the lightning bolt.

“I heard him scream, and then he just stood there and stared at his hands, and then he collapsed,” he said. “We made sure he kept his eyes open, kept checking his pulse and made sure he was breathing while we brought him back to shore so we could meet the paramedics.”

Steve was flown to Washington Hospital Center’s burn unit where he was treated and later released.

It was a perfect summer weekend that ended in peril, said Terry.

Nearing the end of their weekend getaway on the river, Terry was piloting the craft back to port, near Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge, when a large storm reared its head just before 5 p.m.

The storm’s high winds brought six to eight-foot waves, heavy downpours and a lot of lightning.

Despite earlier reports of him being in the water, Steve was inside the boat, holding on a canvass which had a metal rod attached to it.
By that time most of the wind had passed, but the rain and lightning still filled the skies, and that’s when Steve was struck, said Terry.

“Those were the worse waves I’ve ever seen on the Potomac, and you would never think that a 44-footer would get nervous, but it was scary out there,” he said.

That same storm was blamed for knocking out power to at least 94,000 power customers in Virginia.

Terry said it is “amazing” that his brother is still alive after being struck by lightning.