Florida teen in critical condition after being struck by lightning

A 16-year-old girl is in critical condition and her father is recovering from a lightning strike in Florida. Baylee Holbrook and her father were hunting in Putnam County when a bolt of lightning struck a tree and fell on the duo, local police said.

“The father lost consciousness and when he awoke, he discovered that the 16-year-old was not breathing,” the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The bizarre lightning then turned and struck the duo, according to local media reports.

Holbrook’s father lost consciousness and when he woke up he noticed she was not breathing. He quickly called 911 and performed CPR on his daughter until emergency services and first responders arrived.

Holbrook was transported to HCA Florida Putnam Hospital and taken to a trauma center. She is currently in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office. 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. She has a heart for her friends, people she loves, people she comes into contact with. She has a heart for people in general,” family spokesman Willie McKinnon told WOKV.

Holbrook’s friends describe her as a pillar of the community with a smile that brightens any room. “She’s hilarious, she always comes with a smile on her face, she could get through the worst day, but she comes with 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’ll stay in this and I love you, Baylee.”

McKinnon shared a message from her parents: “Please ask God to do what he alone can do and that is perform a miracle.” Holbrook is a varsity cheerleader and the team will honor her by wearing her favorite color, green, ribbons and bows, during their game on Friday. The sheriff’s office said there had been an increase in lightning strikes in the area over the past two days and warned the community about the upcoming forecast. Fox Weather said severe weather has been reported in the sunny state due to a stalled front to the north, allowing numerous showers and storms to develop up and down the Florida peninsula.

They predicted thunderstorms will hit the state over the weekend, with most parts of the state receiving at least 2 inches of rain through Saturday. About 40 million lightning strikes occur in the United States each year, but according to the CDC, the odds of actually striking them in any given 12 months are less than one in a million. Survivors described being left with tinnitus, PTSD, severe burns, mental health issues, visual disturbances, 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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