A family of four, including a small child and a teenager, were rushed to hospital Monday afternoon after being struck by lightning at a park in Scarborough.
Toronto EMS responded to a call at Morningside Park, near Morningside and Kingston Road, just before 3:30 p.m. and transported four victims, including a 5-year-old girl and a teenage boy, to hospital.
Police say the family members suffered minor injuries and remain in hospital in non-life-threatening condition.
Lea Butacan was enjoying a day at the park with her family when the storm rolled in. She says it was a matter of seconds before the victims were struck.
"One strike and I see the fire in the middle of their table and one man, I saw one man, and then two girls just drop," she told CTV Toronto.
“They (didn’t) move and I thought they (were) dead,” she said. “But after three minutes, I see man moving a little bit and I said, 'Thank you God, he's alive'."
Moments after Butacan called 9-1-1 another bolt of lightning hit the area, taking down a tree.
Toronto EMS says the tree knocked out an ambulance that was responding to the call, forcing the vehicle out of service.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Scott Lightfoot.
