Girl, 13, recovering after being injured by lightning strike in Garfield Park near conservatory

CHICAGO (WLS) — A 13-year-old lady injured from a lightning strike Wednesday continues to get well at Stroger Hospital Thursday morning.

The lady’s household mentioned {the teenager} is doing OK. The extent of her accidents continues to be unclear.

Robust storms made their means by the world within the early afternoon, downing bushes throughout town.

The storm got here in so shortly that many individuals have been nonetheless in Garfield Park, with children taking part in within the space and that was the case for the 13 yr previous. She was close to the conservatory together with her household.

Emergency crews have been referred to as to the 300-block of North Central Park Avenue at about 1 p.m. for stories of a lady struck by lightning, Chicago Hearth Division spokesman Larry Merritt mentioned.

It is nonetheless not clear if she was straight hit by the lightning strike or if she was close to the world of floor the place it hit.

Different households who have been simply ft away after they noticed it occur described the sound as a gunshot.

“I did not know if anyone received hit or not till they got here out together with her after which I used to be like, ‘Wow, an entire youngster received hit,” witness Jordan Garrett mentioned.

“We really thought it hit a tree,” witness Daniel Jackson mentioned. “However after we noticed the ambulance and the fireplace division pull up, we knew anyone had been struck….I am very shook up. and I really feel for the dad and mom.”

The Nationwide Climate Service is reminding individuals there isn’t any protected place to be outdoor when lightning strikes, making it essential so that you can discover shelter.

If you cannot discover any indoor house in any respect, they are saying it is vital to keep away from sheltering below bushes and you need to by no means lay flat on the bottom.

Avoiding any our bodies of water or objects that conduct electrical energy can be essential.

Roughly 5,000 lighting strikes have been recorded between 1-2 p.m. from Lake County to Will County because the strongest a part of the storm moved by the world, the climate service mentioned, citing preliminary knowledge.

About 40 million lighting strikes hit the bottom in the USA every year, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, including that the chances of being struck by lightning are lower than one in one million.