Teen Reports Being Struck by Lightning

By Claudia Koch, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTE COURT HOUSE – A student at Central Middle School had a shocking end to an art project Monday. With thunder storms spawned by Hurricane Florence swirling in the area, school classes went on as usual, except for 14-year-old Maurice Hurt.

At about 2:30 that afternoon, while washing his hands after completing his work, Maurice reported, “I heard a big boom and then I felt electric go through my hand and then it went up my arm.” Had he actually been struck by lightning? Inside the building? After that, things moved swiftly. A student in line behind Maurice noticed what appeared to be burn spots on Maurice’s hand and immediately told their teacher, who called the school nurse, who, after checking on Maurice, called the rescue squad. The EMT on the squad that day noted an abnormal heart rhythm and rushed him to Southside Hospital in Farmville.

Maurice was kept in the hospital until about 10:30 Monday night, then released to return home. His mother, Phinon Hayes-Hurt, said Wednesday morning that Maurice has been sleeping a lot since the incident, and was scheduled to return to the doctor for a checkup that afternoon. “He still has tingling in his hand and arm. When that happens, he gets scared and he just lays down and goes to sleep,” she noted. “The doctor wants to monitor the shock effects and his muscle mass.” (Muscle contractions can be a result of an indirect lightning strike.) “You definitely don’t expect to get a call from the school saying your child has been struck by lightning.”

Maurice was quoted as saying, “I’m grateful I had an angel watching over the top of me.” Mom Phinon, who has been battling Lupus for several years, agreed with that, remarking, “It was not the typical end to a school day.”

(In a consultation with an experienced plumber/electrician, it was learned that, indeed, it is possible after lightning strikes some part of a building’s external water system for the charge to travel through the system and thus cause the type of injury described in this story.)