Florida lightning strikes injure lifeguard, sheriff's deputy over Fourth of July holiday weekend

The Fourth of July holiday weekend turned dangerous as separate lightning strikes injured a lifeguard who volunteered to work on the holiday, as well as a sheriff's deputy about an hour away.

The lifeguard said he was lucky to be alive after surviving the indirect lightning strike, and he still managed to warn others to get off the beach as fast as possible.

Damien Curry said he was on the sand near the Seminole Avenue approach in Ormond Beach, north of Daytona Beach on Florida's east coast, on July 4 and had his hand on his truck when the lightning struck.

"All of a sudden, boom," he said. "And I jump through the truck. I get lifted off my feet."

The energy from the indirect lightning strike transferred from the truck into his body.

"I'm shaking," Curry said. "I mean, I'm violently shaking. I was in panic. The whole left side of my body was tingling. Pins and needles. It was like a bomb went off."

Despite what happened, he said he was still able to get in his truck and race to warn other.

"I'm literally on the (public address system) with the lights on like, 'Get off the beach. I just got struck by lightning. You're gonna die,'" he said.

He was taken to a hospital and has recovered but said he's probably going to take some time off for a while.

"My wife wrote on the fridge, 'No more lifeguarding,'" he said.

Sheriff's deputy also injured after lightning strike

About an hour away, a deputy with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said a deputy was also injured due to an indirect lightning strike on Sunday.

Officials said the deputy was standing by his truck when lightning struck a nearby tree.

That lightning strike then traveled from the tree to the deputy, not striking him directly.

He was rushed to a hospital as a precaution and is expected to be OK.

1 killed, 3 injured in Fort Myers Beach lightning strike Friday

One person was killed and three others were injured when they were struck by lightning on a popular Florida beach on July 3, according to officials.

The Fort Myers Beach Fire District said in a Facebook post that crews raced to the 6600 block of Estero Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach around 3 p.m. after receiving a report of a lightning strike involving multiple people.

One of those people was pronounced dead, and three others were rushed to a hospital.