TAMPA, Fla. — A father-daughter trek to watch their favorite baseball team’s spring practice did not go as planned after the pair were struck by lightning across the street from Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday.
Nineteen-year-old Ashley Moberg and her father John, both from Chicago, traveled to the area to catch a sneak peek at the New York Yankees, but stormy weather cut the Yankees’ spring training game against the Atlanta Braves short, forcing fans outdoors, WFLA reported.
Ashley Moberg told the TV station that a “big, bright flash and a loud boom” left her ears ringing, while she and her dad made their way to their vehicle.
“I see my dad flying in the air, smacking his head on the ground, and I am flying through the air. I actually got blasted out of my shoes, and I landed on the pavement. For about 10 seconds, I thought my dad was dead, and I thought I was dying,” she told WFLA.
She also shared their experience on TikTok:
According to Tampa police, lightning struck the pair in the parking lot of Raymond James Stadium, knocking 74-year-old John Moberg unconscious, WTSP reported.
“It’s indescribable,” he told the TV station.
“I didn’t know lightning had hit me. I just woke up with my face in the mud, and I couldn’t move. I was 100% paralyzed,” he added, noting that he initially believed he had suffered a stroke before his daughter explained what happened.
A bystander called 911, and the Mobergs were transported to an area hospital from which they were discharged Monday morning just in time to catch their return flight to Chicago, WFLA reported.
“It was terrifying, but we made it through,” Ashley Moberg told the TV station.
According to WTSP, first responders told the Mobergs that their shoes’ rubber soles likely saved them.