Arabic version: مراهقة مصابة بالصاعقة في عاصفة رعدية في بيرث
According to ABC News,
A Perth teenager has described the terrifying moment she was injured by a lightning strike on a school tennis court, saying she felt her “spine vibrate” after a bolt hit a nearby basketball hoop and ricocheted into her and a friend. Georgia Rizzi, 16, was one of three people in Perth taken to hospital on Thursday due to injuries caused by lightning strikes after an unseasonal thunderstorm moved over the city.
A man in his 70s was the most seriously injured after he was struck by lightning walking his dog in the Perth suburb of Hamersley. Rizzi recalled the moments leading up to the strike, noting that her friends’ hair began to stand on end as thunder and lightning approached. Following the incident, teachers at her school assessed her and her friend, noticing their difficulty standing and stuttering. They were advised to lie down until an ambulance arrived.
St John WA manager Deane Coxall remarked on the rarity of such incidents, stating, “I’ve been in this job almost 15 years and I have never heard of that happening, especially here in Western Australia.” He emphasized the importance of being cautious during electrical storms, urging the public to protect themselves in such conditions.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported approximately 10,000 lightning strikes during the thunderstorms that affected the metropolitan area and southern Western Australia. It is estimated that around 100 people in Australia are struck by lightning each year, with fatalities ranging from five to ten.
