16 Inmates Hospitalized After Lightning Strike at Ohio Prison

A lightning strike sent 16 inmates at an Ohio prison to the hospital as severe thunderstorms swept through the state Tuesday evening, with one person still hospitalized in serious condition as of Wednesday.

Lightning Strikes Inmates Returning From Evening Meal

Lightning struck at the Grafton Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio, about 30 miles outside Cleveland, on the evening of Aug. 11, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The 16 inmates were returning from the evening meal at the time of the strike, though it wasn't immediately clear exactly where they were when they were hit.

All 16 were transported to an outside hospital, including one person airlifted by medical helicopter. As of Wednesday, nine of the inmates had returned to the facility, one remained hospitalized in serious condition, and six others were hospitalized in stable, non-life-threatening condition. No deaths were reported, and no staff members were injured.

A severe thunderstorm watch covered northwest and north-central Ohio the evening of Aug. 11 through about 8 p.m. ET, with the National Weather Service office in Cleveland identifying wind gusts over 60 mph as the main hazard. The strike happened amid a broader outbreak of severe weather that brought damaging winds, flooding and tornadoes across the Midwest that same day.