A 14-year-old student at Orlando’s First Academy is recovering in the hospital after a lightning strike sent a shock across the grounds of the school Tuesday.
The teen’s injury was reported at about 12:08 p.m. during lunch.
An Orlando police officer at the school said that the student was shocked while standing in a parking lot and near a tree when the lightning struck.
The teen, who was responsive, was taken by ambulance to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. The teen is stable, officials said.
First Academy sent parents a letter explaining that a student was injured during lunch hour, but did not explain why the student was outside.
WFTV asked school administrators to point out which tree was hit, but they said for security reasons, it's a closed campus.
No other information was released.
WFTV learned the school has two lightning strike detection systems, but school officials won't say if the systems were working when the lightning hit.
The technology for the systems was paid for by the Jesse Watlington Foundation.
The non-profit has funded lightning detention systems at 40 schools, after its 11-year-old namesake was killed by a strike in 2012.
His father and foundation vice president said the first two systems were donated to the First Academy.
He believes they were working and registering any lightning within 10 miles.
About the Author
