A teenager was seen in disturbing footage holding a doorbell moments before he was struck by lightning as he tried to shelter from a storm.
Cameron Day, 16, was riding his bike home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday when he got caught in a torrential downpour.
The teenager decided to hide from the storm under a tree and was last seen on doorbell footage sitting on his bike waiting for it to pass.
Nearby resident Zandra Laguna said she saw Day sitting on his bike and seconds later heard a “very loud” lightning bolt.
Talking with NBC MiamiShe said: ‘For a second I thought I’d been hit because it was so hard, and it was like a flash, and I realised I was okay.’
Cameron Day, 16, was riding his bike home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday when he got caught in a torrential downpour.
The teenager decided to hide from the storm under a tree and was last seen on doorbell footage sitting on his bike waiting for it to pass.
She continued: ‘So I ran inside, but I’d heard lightning before, but never that strong. No one thinks you’re going to get hit like that, let alone die from it.’
Emergency crews rushed to the scene where he was treated for cardiac arrest and then rushed to hospital where he died.
Day was a student at McArthur High School, where he was known as a tuba player.
Laguna said: ‘Five minutes after that, rescue arrived, they stopped here and I realised they were picking up the same child I had just seen standing there.
‘I assumed he was struck by lightning because he was fine a few seconds earlier.’
Local10 Images captured at the scene show missing chunks of sidewalk where the lightning struck.
According to his family, Day was the youngest of four siblings and the only boy. He had also been diagnosed with autism at an early age.
Day was a student at McArthur High School, where he was known as a tuba player.
According to his family, Day was the youngest of four siblings and the only boy. He had also been diagnosed with autism at an early age.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene where he was treated for cardiac arrest and then rushed to hospital where he died.
In a statement, her parents Cameron and Lealani said: “As you can imagine, we are devastated. Her death and the way she died is unimaginable.”
‘Cameron was LOVED and brought happiness to everyone he came into contact with, each in their own special way.’
McArthur Middle School Principal Mark Howard said in an email: ‘An 11th grade student passed away yesterday afternoon.
“While I cannot share further details regarding the student’s untimely death, I offer my deepest condolences to the student’s family and loved ones, his teachers, and his classmates. He will be missed.”
Local10 spoke to some of the teen’s classmates on Friday, who described him as friendly.
Images captured by Local10 at the scene show missing chunks of sidewalk where the lightning struck.
Jada Santil told the outlet: ‘He was very personable, outgoing, would talk to anyone and played the instrument very well.
“It was crazy. I never thought it would happen to someone I know.”
While another added: “Cameron was a good guy. He was very careful, he knew how to dress and put on the right clothes.”
A GoFundMe page A campaign has since been launched to help his family, which has so far raised more than $20,000 of its $35,000 goal.
According to the National Weather Service, Florida leads the country in lightning-related deaths: about 30 people die each year in the state.
