Lightning Strikes Family, Injures Father and Children

A lightning strike hit a tree near Jennie Lake, central California, on September 3, injuring a father and his two children.

Christopher Lovera was fishing by the lake with his 12- and 9-year-old children when the family was struck by an electric current that went through a nearby tree. Lovera said in a Facebook post that he and his children channeled “various amounts of the bolt that hit the tree at our back” before it “made explosive contact with the ground.” Lovera, who was paralyzed for a few hours, said his clothes were burned and fused to his body, while his children suffered severe burns and punctured eardrums. People on the scene performed first aid on the victims, who were later hoisted to safety by rescuers.

In a comment on a September 11 Facebook post updating friends on his recovery, Lovera said he was “doing so much better” and that he and his kids were all healing quickly.

The Barton family were also at Jennie Lake on Labor Day weekend backpacking with friends and caught the incident on GoPro footage. Credit: Christopher Lovera via Storyful