By STEPHEN THOMPSON
The Tampa Tribune

TREASURE ISLAND - Two people were struck by lightning this morning on a public beach in Treasure Island, fire officials said.

The two were on the beach at 11260 Gulf Blvd. at 10:34 a.m., said Charlie Fant, chief of Treasure Island Fire Rescue.  It had been raining for about 10 minutes before the strike and although beach-goers had heard thunder nearby, people remained on the beach, according to a press release from the City of Treasure Island.

A teenager, a 16 year-old boy from Tampa, was not conscious when paramedics arrived, but a woman was, according to the Treasure Island Police Department.

The woman has been identified as Maureen Machajewski, 46, from Texas, according to a City of Treasure Island press release.  The boy’s name has not been confirmed.

This is how witness Georgia Hewitt described the aftermath of the strike, as she happened to see it when she stepped out onto her balcony at a nearby condominium and hotel building.

Hewitt saw the commotion and ran down to help, she told WFLA News Channel 8.

She saw one woman giving the male victim chest compressions, but no one was giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so Hewitt performed that function while the other woman continued giving the boy chest compressions, Hewitt said. This life-saving effort continued until paramedics arrived.

Hewitt said she was able to get air into the young man’s chest, but he didn’t appear to be responsive and didn’t start breathing.

The woman, whom Hewitt came to learn was the teen’s mother, was hysterical.  She complained of tingling in her feet and chest, Hewitt said.

Machajewski told Hewitt her son had taken a direct hit to the chest. The strike ripped open his shorts and ripped his T-shirt, Hewitt said. He was purple above the neck and pink and black below the neck, Hewitt said.

Both the woman and the teenager were rushed to Palms of Pasadena Hospital in South Pasadena.  There’s no word on their conditions.

Around 11:15 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a special statement about strong thunderstorms in most of Hillsborough County.

Thunderstorms were expected to affect a number of areas, including West Park, Town `N` Country, Tampa
International Airport, Temple Terrace and Brandon, forecasters said. The storms were expected to be in the county until about 12:30 p.m.

Gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour were possible, along with frequent cloud to ground
lightning and, possibly, pea-size hail. Torrential rains also were expected to cause some ponding of water on
roads and minor flooding, the weather service said.

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