Teen Says Boot Saved Her Foot After She Was Hit By Lightning

WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) - In Wylie, residents thought one hail storm was enough. So when round two barreled through though the town Monday night, it was too much.

"We didn't know what to do, do you stay in the car? Do you get out? The windows are breaking, glass is flying, so we didn't know the safest thing to do," said Nicole Halstied.

On Tuesday, all the Halstied family could do is clean-up all of the shattered glass in their SUV. They weren't the only ones at Amy's car wash along State Highway 78 when the storm hit either. But their bout with hail pales in comparison with the stormy weather that swept through two weeks ago.

One of the Halstied's twin 16-year-old daughters, Maegan, said she thought the storm had moved away, so she went outside. But after lightning struck near her in the street, she quickly went back toward her house -- where she said another bolt crashed down right in front of her.

"And I fell. So I got up and I looked at my boot and this is what happened," said Maegan Halstied.

The sole of the boot melted; pieces of it remain on her front lawn. Moments earlier, she says her mother warned her not to go outside barefoot.
Asked what she thinks would have happened if she hadn't listened, Halstied said, "Probably wouldn't have a foot." She said she will keep the boot to remind her how powerful the weather can be.

Wylie city leaders didn't need a reminder. Monday's hail storm also damaged the public works building. The courtroom, 911 communications center, and other offices sustained water and ceiling damage. The 911 system has stayed operational the entire time, but now the city is in the process of finding other places where employees can work until the public safety building can be repaired permanently.

All three of the city's fire stations also sustained damage but are fully operational. The Wylie police department took some of its squad cars out of service Tuesday so they can replace the windows busted by hail. They are set for repairs the rest of the way at a later date.

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