Lightning strike at mountain along Blue Ridge Parkway puts hiker in Virginia hospital

A hiker had to be rushed to a Virginia hospital Wednesday, June 8, after being struck by lightning on the Virginia stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It happened around 1:20 p.m. on Sharp Top Mountain, a 3,875-foot peak at mile 86 near Bedford, Virginia, according to a news release from the Bedford Fire Department.

The identity of the 75-year-old victim has not been released. He is from Norfolk, Virginia, the National Park Service told McClatchy News.

“Units arrived at the bus shelter which is located 1500 (feet) below where the patient was and began to hike in with medical supplies and a wheeled litter,” the fire department said.

“Crews made contact with the patient who was alert and conscious but had complaints of pain, weakness, and tingling in his extremities.”

The hiker was carried off the mountain by litter and taken to Bedford Memorial Hospital “with non life threatening injuries,” fire officials said.

His condition has not been released.

Lightning killed 11 people in the U.S. in 2021, according to the National Weather Service. Strikes can reach 300 million volts and are “hotter than the surface of the sun,” at temperatures of 50,000 degrees, the NWS says.

The peak of Sharp Top Mountain is reached by a 1.5-mile trail that “ascends 1,300 vertical feet through the forests ... to spectacular 360° views,” the National Park Service says.

“In the summer months, thunderstorms frequently develop in the early afternoon which could be right in the middle of your hike,” the Blue Ridge Parkway said.

“Weather can change quickly so always be mindful of the clouds, changing winds and the scent of rain as you hike our many trails. Remember that no place is safe outside during a thunderstorm.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Lightning strike at mountain along Blue Ridge Parkway puts hiker in Virginia hospital."