VILANO BEACH, Fla. -- A 39-year-old man is in fair condition after being struck by lightning on Vilano Beach on Monday afternoon.
Falk Weltzien of St. Augustine was struck by lightning and taken to Flagler Hospital, where he is still being treated. His wife told Action News, the phone call explaining what happened was frightening. Tanya Weltzein said, "When I checked my voicemail it was from the sheriff and he said my son and husband were on the way to the hospital and my husband was struck by lightning. After that, I just hung the phone up and said I gotta go."
According to the police report, Weltzien was hooked to a kite harness that had metal rings around his waist. The kite was on the beach when his son, Kai Weltzien, says he saw a blinding flash and felt tingling in his arms. When the 14-year-old looked over, he saw his father laying in the sand and shouted for help.
"It was like a big explosion. It was scary," Kai Weltzien said. "I felt a really big shockwave and then I looked over and my dad was just laying in the ground with foam coming out of his mouth."
Police say the man had visible burn marks on his left shoulder.
Kai Weltzein was unharmed but was evaluated at the hospital as a precaution.
