Lightning strikes boy on vacation at Florida beach
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. -- An 11-year-old boy was struck by lightning at Daytona Beach Shores Tuesday, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV reports.
"A small child like that, what are the odds? I mean, the beach is just huge out here," said David Eaton. "I want to help this boy out, make sure that he survives, just thinking that if that was my daughter, I'd do everything that I could to make sure that he started breathing."
"This is not typical that happens on the beach," said Capt. Tammy Marris of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.
WKMG-TV was told Bowen Tyre and his family were in the area on vacation from Georgia.
"You can see the red splotch on top of his head on the right side," Eaton said.
"I started administering CPR on him. After a couple of rounds of compressions, he started coughing up," said L.J. Kuzmovich, who helped rescue the boy.
Kuzmovich, the owner of Pure Life Surf School, was on the beach with his students and ran over to help. He said that's when an off-duty firefighter also jumped in and turned the boy onto his side. The boy then started breathing on his own.
"He had become a little more responsive. He did have a pulse. He's in very serious condition," Marris said.
Authorities said the outcome could have been different if it weren't for other beach-goers.
The news sent shockwaves through the family's small town in Georgia.
"To say that we're devastated is an understatement. Fishing at the beach is something that he loved to do," Tess Lucas told WKMG-TV.
Lucas and her family were scheduled to arrive to Daytona Beach Shores this weekend. The trip now takes a different focus.
"We're a small community, and when something like this happens it impacts everybody," said Lucas.
Bowen's family and friends have taken to social media to send prayers to Orlando, where Bowen was recovering at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
"So, continue to pray, at this point, for this really special little guy," Lucas said.
Lucas said Bowen is avid fisherman and hunter. He has received many accolades, the latest just days ago for leadership skills.
Friends have begun a Facebook page, Prayers for Bowen Tyre. The page posted that Bowen ran a fever Tuesday night but his temperature was down to 99 degrees.