A sudden thunderstorm hit the Balsam Mountain Campground in the the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As the pack leaders and parents were getting children to safety, lightning struck two vehicles with four people inside. Those inside the vehicles were uninjured, but two adults who were standing outside the vehicles were knocked to the ground. They were about a foot away from the blast crater, which was about 3-feet deep.
The other parents on the camping trip rendered first aid to the victims, got the children into a secure location, and transported the two victims to Haywood Regional