Dog walker struck by lightning along Boston beach, critically hospitalized

A 31-year-old woman is clinging to life after being struck by lighting while walking her dog along a Boston beach over the weekend, state police said.

The lightning strike took place about 3:35 p.m. Saturday at Savin Hill Beach in Dorchester, the city's largest neighborhood, and critically injured the woman while she walked her dog, Bruce, the Massachusetts State Police reported.

According to a press release, the woman, who lives in the neighborhood, was walking along the boardwalk at 3:35 p.m. when she stopped to talk to a 49-year-old woman also walking a dog.

While they spoke, troopers wrote, lightning struck the area where they were standing and both women were thrown into the air.

When the bolt struck, troopers said, Bruce got scared and ran off.

The 49-year-old woman who spoke with the victim was not struck by lightning, troopers reported, but "was thrown in a different direction by the force of the blast." The extent of her injuries were not provided by troopers but the woman told officers she planned to seek medical treatment.

Bruce, local outlet WWLP reported, has since been found.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.