A 9-year-old girl from Georgia died after being struck by lightning that also left her 15-year-old sister critically injured.
Nicol Mateo-Pedro was walking with her sister and their mother along a trail in Moultrie when a storm passed through the area, WSB-TV reported.
While waiting for the storm to pass, the family hid under a wooden shelter. However, the lightning struck a tree next to them and the bolt of electricity traveled into the shelter and struck the young girl, who was sitting on a bench.
The girl’s 15-year-old sister suffered serious burns from the incident.
Mateo-Pedro was taken to Colquitt Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Her sister was rushed to the John Still Burn Center at Doctor Hospital of Augusta where she remains in critical condition.
Colquitt County Coroner Verlyn Brock said to WSB-TV that he never had someone from area die from a lightning strike.
There have been 7 lightning deaths in the United States and three of them occurred in July.
Over the past ten years, the US has around 27 lightning deaths per year, according to the National Weather Service. The odds of being hit by lightning are 1 in 1,222,000.
The devastated family copes with the heartbreaking loss of their sweet angel and the increasing hospital bills from their teen.
An ‘Our Tribute Fund’ page has been set up on the Memorial Crowd Funding Portal to help the family. It reads: “With the tragic loss of sweet Nicol, the family is in need of donations to help with the funeral expense and for the medical expenses with Nicol sister who is currently in the hospital in critical condition.”
As of Tuesday evening, over $4,000 has been raised.
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