The teenage boy was conscious and alert when he was rushed to hospital following the incident, it is believed the electric current transferred to his metal chain after hitting a nearby tree

The likelihood of an individual being struck is under one in a million.
The likelihood of an individual being struck is under one in a million.(Image: Getty Images)

A boy, believed to be 15-years-old, was rushed to hospital after being hit by lightning at a park.

Th horror incident happened at around 3.40pm on Thursday, June 19 in Central Park near Fifth Avenue and 100th Street, according to insiders. The boy has not been identified by police yet.

Police the lad was struck when lightning hit a tree and the electric current transferred to his metal chain, ABC 7 reported. Initially, the scene was described as being near the park’s loo. The 15 year old was alert and conscious but was whisked off to Weill Cornell, police said.

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Central Park, New York City
New York, People in a Rowing Boat on a River in Central Park

Around 40 million lightning strikes happen each year in the United States; however, the odds of an individual being hit are less than one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over 90% of those struck survive, but between 2006 and 2021, 444 Yanks were killed by lightning, reports Mirror US.

It comes just days after two men have been rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during a road trip. On Thursday, June 12 at around 5pm rescuers sprung into action when the two men were struck by lightning from a Colorado peak during a hike. Rescuers believe it was one of the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state.

The rescues happened near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state’s highest mountain, Mount Elbert.

One man remained hospitalised in fair condition on Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and later released. Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith confirmed the two men are from New York state but their identities have not been released. The pair had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip.

A lightning strike can reach temperatures of 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, five times hotter than the sun’s surface, and can carry millions of volts of electricity. It can strike from cloud to cloud, within a cloud, or from cloud to ground.

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