GETTYSBURG - A Shamokin native, who was struck by lightning along with her husband, another couple and their son during a Civil War reenactment on Sunday, returned to her home in Jacobus after undergoing precautionary treatment at York Hospital.
Six-months pregnant, Lucilia (Laczkoskie) and her husband Eric Grissey were treated for superficial burns with the other family at Gettysburg Hospital on Sunday. They were then transferred to York Hospital to monitor the baby more closely. They were cleared after several precautionary tests, including a heart scan, and were released at 8 p.m. on Monday.
"There was an intense burning, tingling and buzzing," she said. "It took me a few seconds to realize that I was screaming because of the confusion. But as soon as I realized what was happening, I knew it was lightning."
Grissey said that it was about 2:45 a.m. when a bolt of lightening hit the ground between their and a neighboring tent. She said that she was hit in the back, and it traveled down her right side and through her husband's arm before stopping at his chest.
"There was about a minute of unbearable pain, but it subsided quickly," she said. "I'm still sore and there's still popping in my ears, but everything is normal. We're very lucky."
Grissey moved from Shamokin to Jacobus in 2004, and has participated in the Civil War reenactments in Gettysburg for the last four years with her husband. She said that she plans to return next year, but wasn't sure about camping again, especially in the rain.