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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Reminds me of the story from years ago about the lawyer who was in a fishing boat during a thunderstorm and dared God to strike him.
It didn’t go well.
There was no appeal.
My mother told us of a woman who was struck by lightning thru an open window she was sitting by. She didn’t die, but went all to pieces every time there was a thunderstorm.
Flash-Boom at the same time.
Engine severely reduced power and became louder.
The lightning blew off the ‘hose’ connecting the after cooler to the engine intake.
Boss said to drive it and make the AM delivery.
Another 180 miles at 25-30 mph…flashers on and mostly in the shoulder of the IH.
One of the rare times I did not pass a Weight Man.
Not sure what this is supposed to mean. Lightning strikes are the most random of random events. There is no trend involving lightning strikes or deaths. Perhaps an unfortunate coincidence but nothing more.
Yeah, but to be safe they use a mashie thru the finish, because not even God can hit a 2 iron.
Lol!
Flash to bang - about 1100ft a second. See the flash hear the bang at 5 seconds and it was about a mile away
Aaron Walenga, 48, and his wife of 17 years, Clare Walenga, had just dropped their kids off at church
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They wouldn’t have been struck if they hadn’t skipped church. Just sayin’.
Years ago, whilst working in the yard, I sat on a bench which was located under some trees.
The day was sunny, except for one small grey cloud. Out of nowhere, I heard a loud boom and saw a very brilliant flash of light. For a second, I thought we had been nuked. I grabbed my cat and set a new speed record running inside.
It took a while for my heart rate to get back to normal. That lightning came out of nowhere.
Later that night, I discovered that the lightning had fried my State-of-the-art and expensive DVR. Ugh. After that one strike, everything was quiet and back to normal.
A few years ago, my uncle was struck. He was outside and he was struck by a bolt from a storm around ten miles away. Luckily, he wasn’t seriously injured.
Lightning should be taken seriously.
1. That's great...how long have you been married?
2. (from women) I wish my husband would do that.
3. (from men) Thanks for making us look bad.
I wish the last 2 comments were jokes...but they're not.
#3. Lol!
I’ve heard that lightning sometimes comes into the house via the chimney.
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