Lightning hits softball player, eyewitness runs to do CPR on her
Posted: Mar 16, 2012 4:29 PM EDT
Updated: Mar 16, 2012 5:07 PM EDT
By Valerie Chin
Seymour, IN (WDRB) -- A Seymour High School student is struck by lightning during softball practice, but the quick action by a chiropractor helped save her life.
Chiropractor Dr. Levi Nehrt was working with a patient and happened to look outside the window when he saw softball player 14-year-old Emily Bobb get hit by lightning.
He says, "I saw a flash of light.. blinding, the flash of white. After that, I saw her go straight to the ground. It takes you a couple seconds to realize what you saw."
He then ran across the street to the softball field, scaled a fence, and got to Emily who was laying on the ground not breathing. Her shoes and socks he said were shredded from the lightning, showing just how powerful it was. He performed CPR on her until paramedics arrived.
He says, "I've been CPR trained for 10-15 years. I was a lifeguard in high school. Of course in chiropractor college you get recertified."
Superintendent Teran Armstrong says, "The other three students were no where near her. They were in their softball positions, but they felt a tingle coming through the ground and going from their bodies to their heads. They were taken to the hospital and observed to make sure they were okay."
Players Kristin George, Kelsey Nolting, and Carlee Westfall had some headaches, but have been treated and released from the hospital.
Meteorologists say lightning bolts during clear skies are rare.
The district says how it responded to emergency situations like this made a difference.
Armstrong says, "The immediate responses that were taken, immediate ambulance, getting her to a quality hospital making those snap judgments and getting her to where she needed to be were all the key components and those don't happen without drill and practice and knowledge."
Dr. Nehrt says he's was just happy that he looked out the window at just the right time. He says, "It's definitely a God thing."
Students are on school break right now. After they return, the softball season will go on as planned.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
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