Elmhurst Dad, Daughter Survive Lightning Strike At Ballgame

If you were to guess which U.S. state leads all others in terms of lightning strikes, which state would you choose?

Just so you don't think this is a trick question, I'll go ahead a tell you that Illinois is not the answer. Here are some visual hints:

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If You Guessed That Florida Leads The Nation In Lightning Strikes, Run Under A Tree And Pat Yourself On The Back

Scratch that. It turns out that running under a tree during a lightning storm is what the "experts" call a "bad idea," that can cause nearly as many injuries as vigorous, unsupervised back-patting.

Anyway, Florida is the lightning capital of America. Of the 30 cities in the country that draw the most lightning strikes, 17 of them are in Florida.

According to WeatherBug.com, Florida also has the most total lightning deaths in the U.S. In 2019, three people in Florida out of 20 people killed by lightning nationally died from lightning strikes. In 2018 seven out of 21 lightning deaths occurred in Florida, or a third of all lightning deaths.

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Knowing How Dangerous Florida Lightning Can Be Makes This Story Of Survival Even More Impressive

Last weekend, father and daughter Elmhurst residents John and Ashley Moberg (who happen to be big-time New York Yankees fans), decided to catch the Bronx Bombers in a spring training game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Malique Rankin, Facebook

The next thing they knew, bad weather rolled in, and the game was called for safety reasons. On their way back to their car, they were struck by a bolt of lightning.

WGN TV News:

“There was a big, bright flash and a loud boom and next thing I know, my ears are ringing,” said Moberg. “I see my dad flying in the air, smacking his head on the ground and I am flying through the air. I actually got blasted out of my shoes and I landed on the pavement. For about 10 seconds, I thought my dad was dead and I thought I was dying.”

John Moberg didn't even realize that he'd been hit, only that he was laying facedown in mud and feeling as though he was paralyzed or had had a stroke.

Michael Octavio WTSP, Facebook

Luckily, a good person with a phone called 911 and stayed with the Mobergs until help arrived on the scene. Despite being struck by lightning, they were both discharged from the hospital in time to make a flight back home on Monday.

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