Friends, family ID teen killed in Pembroke Pines lightning strike
PEMBROKE PINES - A McArthur High School 11th grader was killed in an apparent lightning strike in Pembroke Pines on Wednesday afternoon, according to Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue.
The boy, who was identified as 16-year-old Cameron Day by friends and family on social media, was reportedly riding his bike home from band practice when he stopped in a neighborhood just south of Pines Boulevard off SW 67 Avenue.
Zandra Laguna said just after 5 p.m. she went out front to call in her cat and noticed a boy across the street.
"The boy was like standing right in front of my house on the other side of the street and he just looked at me. It looked like he was waiting for someone. He was on his bike. He wasn't riding. He was just standing on his bike," she said.
She said a few moments later a storm moved in.
"Then all of a sudden, there was a huge lightning that struck. I went inside because it was really, really loud. I got scared," said Laguna.
She said a few minutes later she went back outside, just as an ambulance arrived.
"I saw the rescue stop right in front of where that boy was, and then I see them picking him up from the floor, and he just looked like I had a feeling it was that the lightning struck him, because it was instantly like from one minute to the next," said Laguna.
Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue said when they arrived, Day was in the grass under a tree and not moving. They said he was in cardiac arrest and the EMTs treated him accordingly. He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital as a trauma alert.
Fire rescue said while they don't have confirmation yet, it did appear as though Day had been struck by lightning due to the burn wounds on his chest and inner thighs.
A classmate, speaking about the tragedy, said, "I'm never going to see him again, it's kind of sad to think that could happen to anyone."
McArthur High School Principal Mark Howard sent a letter to parents telling them grief counselors are available as long as needed.
"Everybody was shocked when I heard the news. I had goosebumps everywhere," one student said. "I just feel bad. I was feeling bad. I was just it, just like my heart went down."