A man was transported to the hospital after possibly being struck by lightning in Martin County Wednesday afternoon, according to Martin County Fire Rescue.
The incident happened near Ocean Breeze Park construction site. The patient, Guadalupe Salinas of Fort Pierce, was taken to Martin North Hospital in critical condition.
Sheriff Snyder said the man was working on a pool and was possibly holding something metal at the time.
“The workers told our investigators that there was a flash of light and the boom. Obviously, associated with the lightning strike," said Sheriff Snyder.
While we still have to wait for the hospital reports to determine if this was, in fact, a lightning strike, Snyder says it should serve as a reminder of how dangerous lightning can be.
“If there is a storm approaching, the best time to seek shelter is before the storm is right on top of you because that leading edge of the storm is often times where we see the lightning strikes," said Snyder.
Martin County Sheriff's Office, Martin County Fire Rescue and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident.
Worker injured, near Ocean Breeze Park construction site, possible lightening shock. MCSO, MCFR, OSHA investigating. pic.twitter.com/DQZFrzbKv7
— MartinCountySheriff (@MartinFLSheriff) May 17, 2017