Kentucky Women Rendered Unconscious by Lightning Strike at JW Marriott Resort in Florida

A group of women who were on a Florida vacation say they are lucky to be alive after a terrifying bolt of lightning.

The four women were on a girl’s trip from Kentucky, at the JW Marriott Resort on Marco Island, Florida.

“The siren went off, and we knew there was a storm coming,” Danielle Sturgill said. “The nearest thing to us was a little tiki hut and that’s where we decided to take shelter.”

A guest captured the terrifying moment from a nearby balcony. The video shows the bolt of lightning hit the tiki hut they were in.

All four were said they were knocked unconscious.

“When I picked myself up off the ground, I looked at Becky and I said, ‘what in the world just happened to us?’,” Taylor Sturgill said.

“The shock that had went through my body and through my mind, I literally fell to my knees because I couldn’t walk anymore,” Becky Johnson said.

According to police, the lightning didn’t hit the women directly but traveled through the sand after striking the tiki hut. They were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

“I can remember really heavy pressure on my head and then after that I was gone, I was gone,” Danielle Sturgill said.

“When I first woke up, I couldn’t feel my legs at all. They were completely numb,” Kelli Bryant said.

To commemorate the experience, the group got matching lightning bolt tattoos.

“God was with us, and He definitely had his hand on us,” Johnson said.

So far, four people have died due to lightning in 2025.