Lightning over water in Florida. Photograph: Wirestock, Inc./AlamyView image in fullscreenLightning over water in Florida. Photograph: Wirestock, Inc./AlamyMother and two-year-old daughter killed by lightning strike in FloridaKenya Glasgow and her toddler died after lightning struck in Margate, near Fort Lauderdale
A mother and her toddler were killed recently by a lightning strike in south Florida, local authorities said.
The tragedy happened in Margate, near Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday. The victims were Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her two-year-old daughter, named in media reports as Kennedi.
Prince Moody, a neighbor, told the local NBC News affiliate that he was inside his home when he heard a huge bang and his house shook.
“My son said, ‘Dad, there’s a lady on the floor. She got hit,’” Moody told the television station.
The mother and daughter were found next to their car and were rushed to a local hospital. But they both reportedly died shortly after arrival despite intense efforts to save them.
In the US, there are about 37m lightning strikes every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Getting struck, however, is extremely unlikely – with the CDC estimating those odds at less than one in 1m. And almost 90% of people who get hit survive the experience.
