Man Seriously Hurt After Lightning Strikes Cobble Hill Church

Lightning lit up the Brooklyn sky July 26, 2012.

Twitter/Fellmanator

COBBLE HILL — A man walking along Clinton Street in Brooklyn was seriously hurt Thursday evening after lightning struck a church steeple and caused scaffolding to collapse on him, city officials said.

Lightning hit Christ Church, Cobble Hill, at 324 Clinton St., just before 8 p.m. Thursday as a severe thunderstorm rolled into the city, an Office of Emergency Management spokesman said. The lightning strike sent a piece of masonry plummeting into the church's scaffolding, which partially collapsed, the spokesman said.

The injured man was taken to Long Island College Hospital in critical condition, OEM and FDNY officials said.

The Department of Buildings evacuated the church and was inspecting its structure Thursday evening, the OEM spokesman said.

The church did not immediately respond to requests for comment.