Florida teen in critical condition after being struck by lightning
A 16-year-old girl is in critical condition and her father is recovering after being struck by lightning in Florida. Baylee Holbrook and her father were hunting in Putnam County when a bolt struck a tree, which then fell on the duo, local law enforcement said.
“The father lost consciousness and when he woke up he found the 16-year-old was not breathing,” the Putnam County Sheriff said in a statement. According to local media reports, the lightning was then redirected and struck the duo.
Holbrook’s father lost consciousness and when he woke up he found she wasn’t breathing. He quickly called 911 and performed CPR on his daughter until deputies and first responders arrived.
Holbrook was transported to HCA Florida Putnam Hospital and taken to a trauma center. The sheriff’s office said she is currently in critical condition. Holbrook’s classmates gathered Wednesday morning to pray for the Palatka Junior-Senior High School student’s recovery.
The community gathered later that evening for a vigil in her honor in the school gymnasium. “She cares so much about everyone else.” “She has a heart for her friends, people she loves, people she comes into contact with, she has a heart for people in general,” the family spokesperson said , Willie McKinnon, to WOKV.
Holbrook’s friends described her as a pillar of the community with a smile that lit up any room. “She’s hilarious, she always has a smile on her face, she could get through the worst day but she has a smile on her face,” Kaitlyn Sanders said. “It’s like a brother-sister relationship, we hunt all kinds of fish,” her cousin said. “She’s a fighter and I know she’s going to stick with it and I love you, Baylee.”
McKinnon shared a message from her parents: “Please ask God to do what he can only do, and that is to perform a miracle.” Holbrook is a varsity cheerleader and the team will honor her by performing on Friday wears her favorite color green, ribbons and bows in her game. The sheriff’s office said there has been an increase in lightning strikes in the area over the past two days and warned the community about the upcoming forecast. According to Fox Weather, severe weather was reported across the Sunshine State as the front was blocked to the north and numerous showers and storms developed up and down the Florida Peninsula.
They forecast thunderstorms to affect the state through the weekend, with at least 2 inches of rain falling in most parts of the state through Saturday. About 40 million lightning strikes occur in the United States each year, but the chance of actually suffering a lightning strike in a given year is less than one in a million, according to the CDC. Survivors reported ringing in the ears, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe burns, mental health problems, vision problems, heart palpitations and more. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12571043/Florida-teen-struck-lightning-hunting-dad.html?ito=msngallery
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