Baylee Holbrook, Florida teen girl killed after struck by lightning while hunting with her dad in Putnam County. Passed away two days after bolt hit tree and passed on to father and daughter.
A 16 year old Florida teen girl has died after she was struck by lightning in Putnam County. The girl’s death, Thursday morning comes two days after the teen went hunting with her father.
Baylee Holbrook and her father were hunting Tuesday afternoon when a bolt struck a tree which then fell on the duo, local law enforcement said.
‘The father lost consciousness and when he awoke discovered the 16-year-old not breathing,’ the Putnam County Sheriff’s said in a statement.
Had been listed in critical condition prior to her passing Thursday morning
The freak lightning then redirected and hit the duo, FOX8 reported.
Holbrook’s father lost consciousness and when he woke up, he found Baylee not breathing.
The father quickly called 911 and performed CPR on his daughter until deputies and first responders arrived.
Holbrook was transported to the HCA Florida Putnam Hospital and taken to a trauma center. The sheriff’s office said the teen overnight was listed in critical condition.
Come Thursday morning, Trinity Baptist Church announced that Baylee had passed away.
Holbrook’s classmates came together Wednesday morning to pray for the Palatka Junior-Senior High School student’s recovery.
One in a million odds of being struck by lightning
The community came together later that night for a vigil in her honor her at the school gym.
‘She cares so much about everyone else. She has a heart for her friends, people she loves, people she comes in contact with she has a heart for people in general,’ the family’s spokesperson Willie McKinnon said to WOKV.
Holbrook’s friends described her as a pillar of the community with a smile that brighten up every room.
‘She’s hilarious, she always comes on with a smile on her face she could be battling the worst day, but she comes with a smile on her face,’ Kaitlyn Sanders said.
‘It’s like a brother-sister relationship, we hunt fish all sorts of things like that,’ her cousin said. ‘She’s a fighter and I know she will stay in this and I love you Baylee.’
McKinnon shared a message from her parents in the hours before her passing: ‘Please ask God to do what he can only do and that’s perform a miracle.’
Holbrook was a varsity cheerleader, with the team pledging it will honor her by wearing her favorite color, green, ribbons and bows in 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 of the upcoming forecast.
There are about 40 million lightning strikes which hit the ground in the United States each year, yet the odds of actually being struck in any given 12 months are less than one in a million, according to CDC.
Survivors described being left with ringing in their ears, PTSD, severe burns, mental health issues, vision impairments, heart palpitations and more.
