Overview
- On July 4, lifeguard Damien Curry said a bolt hit his patrol truck and sent energy through his body in an indirect strike while he was helping evacuate Ormond Beach.
- Despite being lifted and shocked, Curry said he helped a blind woman to safety and drove along the shore using the PA to warn other beachgoers to get off the sand.
- Paramedics checked Curry and he was treated and released from the hospital the same day after reporting tingling, pins-and-needles and ringing in his ears.
- Curry now says he will step back from lifeguarding to recover after experiencing panic attacks, and local reporting notes he also runs a landscaping business and is an Ormond Beach mayoral candidate.
- Local outlets also reported a separate Seminole County deputy injured by lightning the same weekend, and officials reiterate that hearing thunder means lightning is close enough to strike and people should move indoors or into a hard‑top vehicle with windows up.