Family, friends honor life of teen killed in lightning strike at Davie park
FORT LAUDERDALE - Family and friends gathered Monday to celebrate the life of Ethan Lawrence who died eight days ago after he was struck by lightning in a Davie park.
Among the mourners was running coach Elliott Mason who counseled Lawrence.
"There was a race on July 4th. There was a moment of silence in observance of his passing," he said.
Lawrence, a competitive runner, died suddenly on June 30th while running in Vista View Park. A witness saw him fall to the ground. Lightning was reported in the area around 10:20 a.m.
According to the Broward County Parks Department, the park does have lightning predictors that activate when lightning may hit. The county said they are 97% accurate. A park worker confirmed that the alarms went off moments after Lawrence collapsed. The park had been closed for weather related safety reasons at the time of the incident.
His family spoke about their loss the next day.
"We're all suffering, he was a gentle giant," said Ethan's mother Lourdes Lawrence.
Lawrence, who was from Pembroke Pines, was a runner at Jacksonville University and was in the middle of transferring to Nova Southeastern University, where he planned to pursue a law degree. Lawrence's girlfriend Andrea Medina gave birth to the couple's daughter six months ago.
Lawrence was described in a Facebook post as a "beautiful, smart, athletic, wonderful young man" by Sarah Ramsey, a family friend
The funeral service for Lawrence will be held at Potential Church on Stirling Road in Cooper City.