'Felt like my arm got blown off': 15-year-old lifeguard struck by lightning in Rowan County

Friday, August 11, 2023
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina teenager is recovering after she was struck by lightning while working her summer job at a community pool.

Brynnlee Steger, 15, is a lifeguard at the Rowan County pool. She said she was clearing guests from the pool and was starting to remove umbrellas when she was hit.

"And then I felt like my arm got blown off, so I looked down at my arm and my mom, apparently she said that she saw orange and blue surrounding my arm," Steger said.

Steger said the pain was unbearable and she started to feel better when she got to the hospital.

Doctors told her that she will need therapy for nerve damage to her arm.

Steger said she wouldn't hesitate to get back in the lifeguard chair, and thanks God that she is alive.
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