Women from Kentucky knocked unconscious after Florida lightning strike at JW Marriott resort on Marco Island

A group of women who were on a Florida vacation say they are lucky to be alive after a terrifying bolt of lightning.

The four women were on a girl’s trip from Kentucky, at the JW Marriott Resort on Marco Island, Florida.

“When the siren sounded, we realized a storm was approaching,” Danielle Sturgill mentioned. “The closest place was a small tiki hut, so we chose to seek refuge there.”

A guest captured the terrifying moment from a nearby balcony. The video shows the bolt of lightning hit the tiki hut they were in.

All four were said they were knocked unconscious.

“When I picked myself up off the ground, I looked at Becky and I said, ‘what in the world just happened to us?’,” Taylor Sturgill said.

“The shock that had went through my body and through my mind, I literally fell to my knees because I couldn’t walk anymore,” Becky Johnson said.

Authorities reported that the lightning bolt didn’t strike the women directly. Instead, it hit the tiki hut and then traveled through the sand. They sustained minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.

“I can remember really heavy pressure on my head and then after that I was gone, I was gone,” Danielle Sturgill said.

“When I first woke up, I couldn’t feel my legs at all. They were completely numb,” Kelli Bryant said.

To commemorate the experience, the group got matching lightning bolt tattoos.

“God was with us, and He definitely had his hand on us,” Johnson said.

So far, four people have died due to lightning in 2025.

Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.

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