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2d ago

Lightning Strike at Grafton Prison Sends 16 Inmates to Hospital

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is probing whether staff followed storm‑safety orders after incident reports showed resuscitations, burns, conflicting accounts of yard closures.

Forked cloud-to-ground lightning with lateral discharge channels, Tucson Mountains, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
A lightning strike at Grafton Correctional Institution sent 16 incarcerated people to an outside hospital for treatment Tuesday evening. Ohio prison officials said they are continuing to assess the situation. (WPDE file)
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Overview

  • A bolt of lightning hit the Grafton Reintegration Center on Tuesday evening as inmates were returning from dinner, prompting crews to declare a mass‑casualty incident and summon ambulances from multiple counties.
  • Officials said 16 inmates were transported to hospitals, including one flown by LifeFlight, and as of the latest updates nine had returned to the facility while seven remained hospitalized with one in serious condition.
  • State prison incident reports released by authorities show that at least two inmates required CPR and nurses documented burn wounds and bleeding among victims.
  • The Medina post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol has taken the lead on the criminal investigation and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is conducting an internal review after conflicting accounts emerged about whether staff ordered the yard closed before the strike.
  • The strike occurred during a National Weather Service severe storm watch for the region and the probe could prompt changes to prison storm‑safety procedures and how quickly staff shelter inmates outdoors during severe weather.