Lightning Strikes North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain, 7 Injured

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Multiple people were injured in North Carolina around midday Friday when a lightning bolt struck a well-liked mountain.

Seven individuals were impacted by the lightning strike, injuring four, on MacRae Peak at Grandfather Mountain, WBTV reported. Grandfather Mountain is located southwest of Boone, North Carolina.

One of the people that were struck fell and hit their head, which required emergency crews to assist transport them to a nearby hospital.

Another person was burned from the bolt, while the opposite five people sustained minor injuries.

MacRae Peak reaches an elevation of 5,744 and features some sections that leave hikers exposed to the weather, though it is unclear where specifically the seven individuals were located when the lightning strike occurred.

No severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the storm, but a thunderstorm does not want to be severe to be dangerous.

According to the National Weather Service, a severe thunderstorm could be a storm that has the potential to make hail at least the dimensions of a quarter or wind gusts of a minimum of fifty-eight mph.

However, every thunderstorm contains lightning that can result in injuries, deaths, or property injuries.

As of Aug. 3, there are a minimum of six lightning-related fatalities within the U.S., consistent with the National Weather Service.

One of the six deaths was reported earlier within the month in California when a 37-year-recent man was hiking near the popular John Muir Trail, The Associated Press reported.