Woman Rushed To The Hospital After Being Struck By Lightning In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Wednesday's powerful storms dealt a strong blow to the Tri-State Area and Queens -- where lightning struck a woman -- was hit particularly hard.
A McDonald's bag, a shattered bracelet and a lone earring were the only remnants of a terrifying lightning strike at the height of the storm in Kew Gardens.
Witness Nathalia Sabatino had just gotten off the bus and was walking several feet behind 2 women, when one was struck by a bolt of lightning and knocked to the ground.
"The boom was so strong that it almost knocked me off my feet," Sabatino told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider. "It was a shock to me. I just called my daughter and said 'I'm happy to be alive' because it could've happened to me."
The lightning strike was so intense that it knocked the victim's umbrella to the ground, tore off her earring and even killed the battery of a nearby car.
"I saw a bolt over there. But she was standing right there," said Kyle Simmons, the car's owner.
While lightning crashed down at 150th Street, water rose and drowned cars in Woodside. Cars had water nearly up to their roofs and drivers struggled to get their vehicles out of the flood.
"I could not see a thing - that's how heavy the rain was," said Sabatino.
As for the woman struck by lightning, she was rushed to the hospital while people nearby were caught in the deluge descending around her.
