Posted on 09/21/2026 9:25:12 AM PDT by V_TWIN
A Florida couple were hit by lightning while walking hand in hand – and they hailed a quick-thinking group of good Samaritans who helped save their lives.
Aaron Walenga, 48, and his wife of 17 years, Clare Walenga, had just dropped their kids off at church and were walking along the West Orange Trail in central Florida when they were struck by the bolt on Sept. 2, WHSV reported.
CPR was given to Clare Walenga, 43, after she was struck, while Aaron was hospitalized, but both survived the near-death experience thanks to the actions of four pals on their weekly running club.
But there have been a string of lightning-related fatalities in recent months.
Earlier this month Matthew Jenkins, 20, died after being struck by lightning – days after moving to Florida to attend the Disney College Program.
Utah dad Steve Matheson was struck helping some Florida boaters that had gotten into difficulty while at sea – before he died of his injuries.
Last month, Florida mom Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her daughter, Kennedi, 2, were struck by lightning in front of their husband and dad.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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“still walking hand in hand, after 17 yrs of marriage.”
Rookies.....we’ve been married 34.....hold hands everywhere we go.
Yes! “had just dropped their kids off at church and were walking”
OK, I’m going to admit this reeks of terrible writing by omission ... yep. Following Post’s bad story to the root article:
“The Walengas said they usually walk the trail near downtown Winter Garden on Wednesday nights after dropping their children off at a church youth group.”
https://www.whsv.com/2026/09/20/i-couldnt-move-my-limbs-couple-struck-by-lighting-after-dropping-children-off-church/
As written it reads as if they dropped the kids off at Jesus day care, thumbed their nose at God and zot. That’s not actually the case :)
Me too.....closest was sitting on a friend’s back porch in the 80s.
Lightning hit a pine tree 30’ away....there was a plastic coated metal clothes line connected to it and another pine around 12’ away.
It hit the first pine, traveled through the clothes line on the way to ground and got the other one.
Everything went white for a few seconds....it was definitely a eye opener. 😏
We had a cabin in central Utah. My wife was painting upstairs when lightning struck maybe 100 yards away. The frames in the roof of the A-Frame were held together by large steel bolts in the joists with no connection to anything but the wood frame. She got a shock from a spark that jumped from a bolt to the paint brush. Lightning occurs in concert with a large electromagnetic field collapse that can induce currents in metal some distance away. Lightning is no joke.
I’ve come close several times over the years........
********************************
I’ve had a couple hit within ten feet. I was in a vehicle both times. Faraday Cage.
It doesn’t thunder at that range. It goes BANG.
If you find yourself in an electrical storm hold a 1 iron over your head because not even God can hit a 1 iron.
—Lee Trevino
You’ll never hear the one that gets you!..............
Once lightning hit the telephone pole in my backyard. It fried everything connected to cable and power. Lost a dvr, powered subwoofer, pc etc. Now I have every sensitive device on a ups.
**********************************
Dad same thing. He had all the sensitive stuff on surge-suppressor power strips. Equipment survived, power strips fried just like they’re supposed to.
Always irked me how the press will be given access to hurricane areas while the storm is still brewing so they can look like heroes while residents are all sequestered away from their homes. I refuse to watch live feet-on-the-ground weather coverage from a storm of that magnitude.
😄
Prayers for those who have been injured.
BRAVE AI:
While the metal body of a hardtop car typically acts as a Faraday cage that protects occupants by conducting electricity around the exterior, a lightning bolt can enter through the windshield if the vehicle is parked with windows open or if the strike is exceptionally powerful and finds a path through the glass.
Key risks and mechanics:
Entry Points:
Lightning usually strikes the antenna or roofline, but it can shatter the windshield and dashboard if it enters through an open window or penetrates the glass directly.
Occupant Safety:
If the car’s windows are fully closed, the metal frame generally shields passengers. However, if the strike enters through the windshield or an open window, the electrical current can pass through the cabin, potentially injuring or killing occupants.
Vehicle Damage:
A strike through the windshield can shatter the glass, ignite a fire (as seen in a 2019 incident in Oregon), and fry the car’s electrical system, potentially rendering the vehicle inoperable.
Safety Protocol:
In the event of a strike, remain inside with windows closed, avoid touching metal parts like the steering wheel or door handles, and wait at least 30 minutes before exiting.
Note:
Convertibles or vehicles with non-metallic roofs (like carbon fiber) do not provide Faraday cage protection and are significantly more dangerous during a lightning storm.
Lightning Strikes Van, Shatters Windshield:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zD2Fa5gtW0
What Happens If LIGHTNING STRIKES your CAR - Here’s What To Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7pU-LcE9pM
That’s a classic scene. I think from a movie with Bob Barker.
Lol. That’s nice but Mrs Afterguard and I have been holding hands while walking around for goin’ on 57 years now. Rookies! 😎
Even the article first included has a picture of the incident with the date stamp of Sept. 2.
But one would have to read the article to see it...
Got you beat. 50 yrs this coming January. Hold hands all the time...it’s the only way we can stay upright!🤩
Were the Viking Kitties out practicing the Zot?
While walking outside, hold up a #2 iron golf club. Even God can’t hit #2 iron. Joke borrowed from Lee Trevino, he was one of the fastest players in pro-golf. He would just walk to the ball, and hit it quickly.
From the article: "...had just dropped their kids off at church and were walking along the West Orange Trail..."
Maybe the detail is they wouldn't have been struck by lighting if they were in church with their kids. LOL
Caddyshack. Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray.
“It’s hard to understand
that the touch of your hand
can leave me...frying”
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