ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. – Grateful. That is how one woman describes her family’s current state of emotions after lightning struck her and her parents Saturday at the St. Augustine Beach Pier.
“It was like electric bricks just fell on my head,” recounted Jayme Schuyler, who tells News4JAX that she and her parents decided to go to the beach that day simply because it had been a long time since the family had an outing on the sand.
She shared some of the pictures she took with her parents, who have been married 51 years, minutes before the strike occurred.
“My dad was gasping for air, he was turning blue, and he was barely alive,” Jayme said. “I called 911, and we just stayed there with them, and I tried to tell them that I loved them.”
Her father, Phil, is a proud Vietnam veteran. Jayme said the lightning went through his Vietnam era hat and out through his shirt. Her mother, Diana, was okay because the electric chair she was in grounded her from electricity.
“You don’t think that’s going to happen ever,” she said, reinforcing the importance of lightning detection and saying that public education on the subject is important.
She adds that her father is in good spirits and has nicknamed himself “Sparky.” He does not remember the strike, Jayme said, but she’s just grateful for the efforts displayed by first responders to help her amid the chaotic moment.
“I want to thank everybody who was involved — the fishermen who helped me, the first responders of St. Johns County, the fire and EMS teams, Sergeant Hernandez, all the police officers,” she said. “Sergeant Hernandez helped me put my mom’s mobility chair in the back of the car in the pouring rain and thunderstorm. That meant a lot. And the Life Flight crew who flew my dad in that weather to two different hospitals.”
Jayme also thanked the staff at the hospital in Jacksonville and UF Health Shands Hospital, where her dad should be released from in the next week.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses, which can be found here.
After the lightning strike occurred, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell said the incident serves as a reminder to be careful when thunder or lightning is involved.
“[In a] perfect world, you’d have all the signs and signals out there that you can, but at the end of the day, people still need to take caution when you see clouds rolling in summertime,” Rumrell said. “This is when most of this happens...You just gotta be careful...You see the storms rolling in [and] you hear the thunder, seek shelter.”
According to the National Weather Service of Jacksonville, the United States has had over 500 documented lightning deaths since 2006, with six occurring so far in 2025. The year with the most fatal lightning strikes in the last decade was 2016, with 40 deaths happening that year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls Florida the “lightning capital” of the country, with more than 2,000 injuries over the past 50 years. Both Florida and Georgia rank among the top states for lightning-related deaths.
NWS advises that “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors,” reminding the public that when thunder can be heard, a lightning strike is possible in your vicinity. The agency recommends seeking shelter immediately and refraining from using corded appliances or any equipment that requires contact with electrical systems.
