Lightning strikes airport passenger in Columbia

Lightning struck a passenger who was getting off a plane Saturday at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, where a flight had been diverted because of bad weather.

The woman, whose name was not available Sunday morning, was hospitalized in the Columbia area and in stable condition Saturday night, an airport spokeswoman said. The American Airlines flight had been on its way from Hartford, Conn. to Charlotte, but was diverted to Columbia due to the weather in Charlotte.

The weather in Columbia, however, was stormy late in the afternoon. As the woman left the plane and walked across the tarmac for a layover in Columbia, lightning struck her, airport spokeswoman Kaela Harmon said. Harmon said she received information about the lightning strike about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Harmon characterized the incident as a freak accident.

“It is truly the most random thing I have ever heard,’’ Harmon said.

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This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Lightning strikes airport passenger in Columbia."