Authorities say four people were on board at the time of the strike that happened on Logan Martin Lake Sunday evening. (Source: WBRC)
By Jenna Wood, Mike Dubberly and Jordan Gartner
Published: Jul. 2, 2025 at 6:39 AM GMT+7|Updated: 16 hours ago
PELL CITY, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – A 19-year-old remains in intensive care at an Alabama hospital after a boat he was operating was struck by lightning.
Authorities say four people were on board at the time of the strike that happened on Logan Martin Lake Sunday evening. Three were checked by first responders and released.
The boat’s operator was identified by his mother, Amanda Christopher, as Craig. He was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham.
Christopher shared that her son suffered serious burns and a hole in his right eardrum. She said doctors confirmed the lightning entered through his right arm and exited through his right foot.
“The burn team came and cleaned and bandaged his burns,” she wrote in a social media post. “His right eardrum has a hole in it, and the left ear canal is lacerated, causing a (hopefully, temporary) loss of hearing in both ears.”
Doctors are continuing to manage Craig’s pain and plan to conduct more X-rays to check for possible fractures. He remains in the ICU and will be transferred to a regular room when his condition is stable, his family shared.
Craig’s mother described the ordeal as heartbreaking.
“My toughest, most invincible kid lay there in pain, which is also not mine to describe, but I’m not sure I could even if I tried. He was begging for relief and it wasn’t happening. I was helpless to take his pain away and it broke me,” she said.
She has asked for continued prayers and said she believes her son survived for a reason.
“He is a living miracle with a purpose to fulfill,” she shared.
