BOSTON (WPRI) — Massachusetts State Police say a 31-year-old woman is in critical condition after she was struck by lightning at Savin Hill Beach in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood.
Police say the woman was walking her dog, Bruce, along the boardwalk at the beach when she stopped to speak to another walker, identified as a 49-year-old woman.
While the two women were talking, a lightning bolt hit the area they were standing, throwing both into the air, according to police.
Police say the 31-year-old woman was thrown on the beach and was unresponsive. Bystanders then called police and began performing CPR. The woman was later taken to Boston Medical Center, where she remains in critical condition, police said.
The 49-year-old woman was thrown in a different direction by the force of the blast but is not believed to have been struck by the lightning bolt, according to police. She told the police that she wanted to make her own arrangements for medical evaluation.
Bruce, the 31-year-old victim’s dog, was scared by the blast and ran off, police said. He was found Sunday morning and reunited with his family, according to police.
