12 Hit in Lightning Strikes

July 5 -- Nature put on a dangerous Fourth of July fireworks show in Florida and New York when 12 people were struck by lightning.

No one died or suffered life-threatening injuries in four separate incidents in Florida and one in Rochester, N.Y.

Florida is considered the lightning capitol of the nation, said Dr. Greg Forbes, a meteorologist and severe weather expert at the Weather Channel. On average the Sunshine State gets 20 strikes per square mile each year.

"It wasn't especially severe in Florida the past few days," Forbes noted, but the Fourth of July holiday may have brought more people outside, increasing their risk of being hit.

Seven Struck While Waiting for the Fireworks

In a bar on Beer Can Island, off Florida's west coast near Sarasota, seven people were struck as they waited to watch a fireworks show. A 2-year-old was among the victims, but the toddler was not seriously injured. Three of the adults remained hospitalized today with burns.

In Jacksonville, Fla., three separate lightning strikes injured four others.

Clyde Rewis was hosting an Independence Day party when he was knocked unconscious by a lighting bolt that hit him as he sat on his patio. He was treated at a hospital.

Also in Jacksonville, Terry Doss was inside his home when he was struck. He reported seeing a blue streak under his feet before being knocked down.

Bolt Burns Hole Through Pickup Truck

Lightning also hit two men standing next to their truck, near a tree by a Jacksonville beach. The force threw them about 10 feet, said Jacksonville Fire Department Lt. Glenda Hopkins.

Considering what happened to the vehicle, Hopkins said the men were fortunate to be alive.

"A hole was placed through the cab. It burned the bed liner and the bolt came out through the rear tire," Hopkins.

Lightning also destroyed an industrial building in Jacksonville on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, three people at a picnic in Odenton, Md., were checked for numbness and headaches after a lightning bolt hit the ground nearby.