Unlucky for some: Lightning strikes 13-year-old boy at 13:13 on Friday the 13th

Daily Mail, By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 13th August 2010

For some people 13 is an unlucky number.

St John Ambulance volunteers improved the luck of a 13-year-old boy when they treated him after he was struck by lightning - at 13:13 on Friday 13.

Lucky strike: The 13-year-old boy
escaped with minor burns after the
lightning strike

The boy was struck at Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival today, Firday 13th, and it was only while the ambulance team was treating him that they noticed the time - 1.13pm.

The unnamed buy suffered a minor burn and was taken to James Paget Hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery.

Two other people have been treated at the event today for lightning strikes - they were all holding umbrellas at the time.

Rex Clarke, who leads the team of St John Ambulance volunteers at the event, said: ‘There’d been very heavy rain all day, but this afternoon we saw a big flash of lightning over the sea and a loud clap of thunder.

'We got a call that someone had been struck by lightning so we immediately sent our paramedics to the scene, followed by an ambulance. Lightning strikes can cause cardiac arrest, but when our volunteers arrived the boy was conscious and breathing.

'We treated two more injuries from lightning burns in the space of twenty minutes - all three people were holding umbrellas at the time, which acts as a conductor for electricity.'

Clive James, first aid expert at St John Ambulance, says: ‘The biggest risk of a lightning strike is that it could stop the heart and breathing.

'If this happens, you need to start CPR immediately and call for an ambulance. Other likely effects are burns - which happened in this case - or injuries from being knocked down by the force.

'If the person can walk, move away from the area immediately as lightning can strike in the same place.’