A British mother who was hit by lightning in front of her daughter as they were seeking refuge from a rainstorm on a Croatian beach is now battling for her life.
The 48-year-old lady, who has not been named, is now in a hospital intensive care unit and is in severe condition.
On a Saturday afternoon, the mother and her daughter were sunbathing at a well-liked beach on the outskirts of the vacation destination of Split when they were forced to flee for their life as a huge rainstorm unexpectedly blew in from the sea.
As they made their way to the shelter of a neighbouring hotel, a lightning bolt struck the lady, striking her with a 300 million volt explosion that rendered her unconscious.
Fortunately, a medic who was on duty dealing with a cycling accident that had occurred in a triathlon raced to her rescue and administered first aid as soon as passersby became aware of her daughter’s cries.
She was brought back to life by the heroic paramedic, who then took her to the KBC hospital in Split, where she is now being treated for a severe brain injury and burns in the intensive care unit.
‘The lady was hit near to the beach and thankfully for her one of our on-call physicians who were there at the event managed to resuscitate her,’ a representative from the Marjenski Dir triathlon told MailOnline.
When he heard the lady screaming, he hurried over to aid and stabilized her until the ambulance came. “He was nearby dealing with a bike accident that had just occurred.”
Local police issued the following statement on their Facebook page: “At 3:15 pm (on Saturday), the hospital reported that an emergency medical assistant had been asked to go to Split’s Kajuni beach, where one individual had reportedly been hurt by a lightning strike.
The lady was given medical care on the spot and sent to the hospital, where she was held for further treatment since her life was in danger.
The cause of this catastrophe is being ascertained via an investigation that will be done there.
Getting out of the water and running for the closest structure during a rainstorm at the beach, not for cover beneath a tree or a tent, is the official advice for staying safe.