PHOENIX — A 12-year-old girl is hospitalized, but in good condition, after she was struck by lightning during Saturday's storms, hospital staff say. A large part of her survival was owed to her dad.
A spokesperson with the Valleywise Burn Center said that the lightning strike happened in the Sun City West Retirement Community in the West Valley during the storm.
The girl is in good condition and is now recovering at the burn center. According to hospital officials, the girl was resuscitated by her father after he did chest compressions following the incident.
Dr. Kevin Foster, Director of the Arizona Burn Center, explained that the girl had been playing outside near her house, and her father was able to get to her after the strike happened.
She needed CPR multiple times, officials said and was taken to the hospital in relatively stable condition.
"The father was in the military and had some medical training," Dr. Foster said, "Congratulations, kudos because he definitely recognized what needed to be done and he did the right thing. His daughter is going home today because of his efforts."
"She really owes her life to her father," Dr. Foster added.
The girl's father spoke out about the rescue on Monday, saying that his daughter is glad she'll have a cool story to tell.
The odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in a million, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), but outdoor activity during storms can increase the risk of a lightning-related injury.
Arizona, despite having relatively few lightning strikes, actually has a larger proportion of people struck by lightning.
"Our storms tend to be sudden, severe, and happen when people are outside doing things. Although it is very rare, Arizona has a higher rate of human lightning strikes than other states," Dr. Foster said.
The CDC shared the following advice for what to do if caught out in the open during a storm:
- Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
- Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
- Never shelter under an isolated tree.
- Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
- Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
- Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).
You can read more on the CDC's lightning safety webpage.
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