Parents Of Teen Seriously Hurt During Beach Microburst Speak Out
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Nuno family was enjoying a Labor Day weekend beach trip in Santa Barbara when a rare microburst hit Sunday afternoon literally out of no where.
"It just hit us like a hurricane," says father Oswaldo Nuno.
"It just went bad. It started getting cloudy, dark. It started raining. It started hailing. The wind came up in a minute."
Video captured the panic and chaos.
"I just remember looking and I see kayaks flying. like up in the air, and the umbrellas and chairs flying," said Alyssa Nuno's mom, Sandra Alamillo.
Everyone ran for shelter including daughter Alyssa, 16.
"I could see her walk away," says Alamillo. "And when she walked away the rain got really hard."
When they all gathered in a safe spot they realized Alyssa was missing -- they spread out and found the teen buried.
"There were three kayaks on top of her. So I pulled them off, and we were finally able to see it was really bad," said Oswaldo "You could see her eyes were swollen. She had a big gash on her head. Cuts on her face. It was horrible."
It's a sight her mother can't forget.
"I just looked at her and she had blood everywhere. I didn't know what to do, so I laid there with her," said Sandra.
Lifeguards provided help until the ambulance arrived and took Alyssa to the local hospital. Her injuries were sp severe she was flown to Children's Hospital Los Angeles where her parents have been by her side in the intensive care unit.
"She had a skull fracture," said her mom. "She had nerve damage, her sinuses were broken. " said her dad.
She's also been treated for a broken wrist and collarbone. Doctor's think she was hit by a flying kayak-
"This is one of the hardest things we've ever gone through in our lives. And I just want it to be over," says Oswaldo.
Alyssa still has a few more surgeries planned- it's still not clear when she'll be leaving the hospital.
Fundraising sites have been set up. To directly contribute checks or cash to the family, submit them to Montecito Bank & Trust, account name: Alyssa Nuno Fund, account number: 410025543
For information about a GoFundMe account, click here.