The fourth individual who was struck by lightning Thursday night in Lafayette Square, the open space close to the White House, has also passed away.
A 29-year-old man was identified as the third victim of the lightning strike by the D.C. police. They haven’t yet offered any other details.
Lightning strike near White House update
A cousin told the Associated Press that James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, of Janesville, Wisconsin, also passed away while visiting the area to commemorate their 56th wedding anniversary. Police were able to confirm that all four were struck by lightning by Friday afternoon.
Lt. James Dingeldein with the U.S. Park Police stated that as of Friday morning, the fourth person was in critical condition.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked, “We are pained by the unfortunate loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park.” “Our prayers are with those still battling for their lives, and our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones.”
The Muellers’ niece revealed to WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington that the couple was semi-retired and was celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary while in Washington, D.C. Donna Mueller worked as a teacher, and James Mueller ran a drywall company. Together, they had five children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
lightning strike Lafayette Park NW – 4 patients, all in critical condition.
The strike happened as powerful storms passed over the area, bringing thunder, lighting, and lots of rain.
Apparent lightning strike Lafayette Park NW. #DCsBravest on scene in the process of treating and transporting 4 patients, all in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/1jyCh44Q2n
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) August 4, 2022
According to Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for D.C. Fire and EMS, “We found four patients upon arrival.” “All four were experiencing serious, potentially fatal injuries. The four patients were swiftly treated and taken to nearby hospitals.
Maggiolo emphasised that due to the bad weather, their situation was not secure.
He advised people to seek shelter indoors or in a secure location if lightning struck. Of obviously, trees are not a safe location. Therefore, it is extremely risky for anyone to seek refuge under a tree.
U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Park Police representatives were nearby and able to provide assistance, according to Maggiolo.
I want to thank them because when their officers and agents saw the lightning strike, they started helping the four victims right away, Maggiolo added.
The event was reminiscent of one that occurred when National Guard men were in Washington, D.C., a couple of years ago because of protests in June 2020. While they were stationed in Lafayette Square, two National Guard troops were hurt by lightning.
At Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium on June 13, 1998, a crowd of 66,000 people witnessed one of the most notorious lightning strikes in the District. On that day, while attending the Tibetan Freedom Concert, eleven persons suffered injuries.
The National Climatic Data Center claims that stadium authorities received plenty of warning, but there was nowhere for spectators who weren’t in the protected area of the stadium to find cover.
3 dead, 1 injured in lightning strike near White House
Authorities reported that a 29-year-old man and a couple in their 70s who were celebrating their anniversary died as a result of a lightning strike near the White House on Thursday night. A second individual has been injured seriously and is being treated in a hospital.
According to the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, lightning struck Lafayette Park across the street from the White House just before 7 o’clock.
The third victim, the 29 year-old, was pronounced dead Friday
The 29-year-old third victim was declared deceased on Friday. According to authorities, a woman who was the fourth victim was in critical condition. Their identities weren’t right away made public.
Authorities only stated that the victims of the lightning strike were critically hurt. They did not specify how they were hurt.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement in which she said, “We are pained by the unfortunate loss of life following the lightning strike in Lafayette Park.
The four were all sent to hospitals with “severe life-threatening injuries,” according to a tweet posted on Thursday by D.C. Fire and EMS.
wisconsin couple dead who died on lightning near White House
According to Michelle McNett, the couple’s niece, James and Donna Mueller passed away while visiting the nation’s capital to commemorate their 56th wedding anniversary. She recalled them as being high school sweethearts who enjoyed hosting events for their close-knit family and dancing.
While Jim ran a drywall company, Donna was a retired teacher who worked occasionally at a furniture store in Janesville, according to McNett. Five children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren were born to them.
Both will sacrifice anything for family or friends, according to McNett.
According to John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist for the National Lightning Safety Council, there have been nine additional lightning-related deaths in the United States this year.
Since 1991, when one person was killed and ten others were hurt while seeking cover under a tree at a lacrosse game, this occurrence is the first lightning-related death in Washington, D.C., he added.
Jensenius advised people to seek cover in a building whenever a thunderstorm is forecast for their neighbourhood. Because lightning “tends to strike the tallest item in the nearby area, which is generally a tree,” hiding under a tree can be perilous.
