Lightning Strikes 7 People On Beach

Lightning struck a busy beach on Monday, injuring seven tourists.

The most seriously hurt was 14-year-old Kristen Abell from Louisville, Ky.

“She was walking next to me and the next thing I know I was on the ground,” said Wendy Haedtler, 26, also of Louisville, Ky., a friend of Kristen.

Kristen was hospitalized in critical condition. Haedtler and her husband were treated and released.

Between 300 and 500 people were on the beach when the small, fast-developing storm formed around noon.

“It caught everybody off guard. … You could hear your hair sizzle; it was that close,” said beach attendant Tom Curry.