Boy struck by lightning in Barrack Point, NSW, on Australia Day
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Terrifying footage shows the moment an eight-year-old boy was struck by LIGHTNING while swimming at a beach on Australia Day, leaving him with horrific injuries.
- A boy was struck by lightning in New South Wales
- He was pulled out of the ocean by lifeguards
- He is in critical but stable condition.
Horrific footage captured the moment a young boy was struck by lightning while enjoying a family day at the beach.
The boy, believed to be eight years old, was struck by the strike at Barrack Point in Shellharbour on the south coast of New South Wales at 5:30pm on Thursday.
A video shows the boy walking into the water with his parents and younger brother. Moments later lightning strikes and he suddenly collapses.
The boy is understood to be English and his family arrived in Australia a week ago.
A boy, believed to be eight years old, was struck by lightning (above) at Barrack Point on the south coast of New South Wales on Thursday.
The boy was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Westmead and is in critical but stable condition.
“It was like a scare out of the blue and at that moment I looked towards the entrance and nobody knew what had happened,” said a witness, Simon Young. 9News.
“A little boy just fell to the ground in the water and his family and siblings rushed to his aid to grab him as quickly as possible.”
A witness said he heard the lightning strike before turning around to see the injured boy being cradled by his parents.
Intensive care paramedic Terry Morrow said surf lifeguards pulled the boy out of the water.
The boy (circled above) was pulled from the ocean by lifeguards and is in a critical but stable condition.
Paramedics were able to revive the boy at the scene (above) before he was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Westmead.
“When the paramedics arrived, they took over and were able to resuscitate the child,” Inspector Morrow said.
‘The actions of those lifeguards played a crucial role in the boy’s resuscitation.
The boy also had burns to his chest which were treated at the scene by paramedics and the intensive care medical team who arrived via the toll ambulance rescue helicopter.
“While this is a rare and unfortunate incident, it is a reminder that when there are thunderstorms in the area, you should avoid being in bodies of water and that the interior is the safest place to be.”
Parts of New South Wales, including the Wollongong metropolitan area, were affected by severe storm cells on Thursday afternoon.
Other storms affected the greater Sydney area, including parts of western Sydney and the northern beaches.