Group injured after lightning strikes canopy in Tarrant County storm

People injured after lightning strike hits canopy

In Tarrant county, people were injured after lightning struck the canopy they were under at Benbrook Lake.

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas - Fourteen people were injured by a bolt of lightning in Tarrant County on Sunday, officials said.

According to Cresson Fire Chief Ron Becker, the incident happened when a group of people were attempting to hold down a canopy during a storm.

Tarrant County Lightning Injuries

What we know:

Becker said the group was at Benbrook Lake when Sunday's storm swept through the area. In the midst of the high winds, the 14 people gathered under a canopy, which they attempted to hold down during the storm.

Lightning struck the canopy, a tree, and a nearby vehicle, causing injuries to all 14 people, he said.

Of the injured people, 12 were treated for minor injuries and released at the scene. The other two were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

What they're saying:

Cresson firefighter and paramedic Traci Becker said the victims were extremely fortunate.

"They're extremely fortunate because every single one of them had a piece of their hand on metal, which is a great conductor of electricity," she said. 

She also said the nearby vehicle that was hit was inoperable after the strike.

North Texas Hail

Tarrant County residents dealing with hail, storm damage

Some cities in Tarrant County saw quite a bit of damage from Sunday's storms. Some of the hail that fell was the size of baseballs.

During the same fast-moving storm that moved through North Texas on Sunday evening, large hail stones fell in Tarrant County while the weather pushed eastward.

FOX 4 viewers submitted videos and images of hail that fell in Arlington and surrounding areas around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

The storm was moving eastward at around 25 miles per hour around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Viewers reported hearing sirens as far east as Oak Cliff.

The hailstones produced by the storms were large enough to cause damage to vehicles and other property. The hail could also cause injury to individuals outdoors during the storm.