Boating rescue ends with lightning strike

A woman stranded in the middle of Morningside Lake yesterday in Fallsburg was in the middle of being rescued by a park staffer when both were struck by lighting. Both are reportedly in critical condition -- according to the Times Herald-Record, lifeguards scrambled to keep both breathing while ambulances arrived:

As park employees called all boats to shore, lifeguard Kristen Sarno said one employee, Devin Corbett, 23, climbed into a rowboat and paddled out to the stranded boaters. He had just moved the woman to his boat when, lifeguard Joe Drobysh said, "we saw the lightning hit the water." Corbett and the woman were thrown into the lake. Lifeguards jumped in and dragged them to shore, along with the other stranded boaters.

The 22-year-old woman is not being identified in the mainstream press, but several Jewish news websites have identified her as Leah Nesha bas Baila Malka. Yeshiva World News is reporting that while she is still in critical condition, her rescuer's condition has stabilized.

UPDATED: The Times Herald-Record is now naming the woman, and it seems that she's actually called Laya Feiner, and is 23, not 22. The paper is reporting that Feiner's condition has reportedly improved, as has the condition of her rescuer, 23-year-old Devin Corbett.

Topics: