Henry County lightning strike: Teen killed, girl survives

By Alexis Stevens and Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 14-year-old boy struck by lightning in McDonough has died, authorities said Wednesday. A girl who was also struck survived and is recovering at a local hospital.

Henry County Coroner Greg Cannon told the AJC  that Eric West died overnight at Henry Medical Center.

A 15-year-old girl, Ceyara Taylor, was also struck by the lightning bolt Tuesday night as heavy storms slammed the south side of the metro area.

Taylor was taken to Henry Medical Center and was later tranferred to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. She was in good condition Wednesday afternoon, an Egleston spokeswoman told the AJC.

McDonough fire Chief Steve Morgan told WSB Radio that the teens were outside a house in the Huntington Ridge subdivision off Ga. 42 when they were knocked to the ground by a lightning bolt around 8 p.m.

West was in cardiac arrest when emergency crews arrived and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Taylor regained consciousness at the scene, Morgan said.

Two weeks ago, on June 19, a teen was struck by lightning in Acworth. The victim in that incident survived after a friend quickly summoned help by flagging down an Acworth police officer near the intersection of Lake Acworth Drive and West Lakeshore Drive.

Storms also delayed some arriving flights at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told the AJC late Tuesday. For about 30 minutes, beginning around 9:45 p.m., the weather prevented flights from landing in Atlanta, Bergen said.

There is a 60 percent chance of  rain and storms on Wednesday, according to WSB-TV Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns.

"It's going to be very hot and very muggy," Burns said.

Temperatures are expected to cool slightly, with Wednesday's high expected to be 87 degrees in Atlanta, down from Tuesday's high of 93.

So far, the upcoming holiday weekend looks like it will be sunny and dry, Burns said.

--Staff writer Larry Hartstein contributed to this report.