Lightning killed a 6-year-old kid and his father as they walked down their driveway in Valley Mills, Texas.
According to a GoFundMe page put up by family members, the event occurred on May 15 after Grayson Boggs, his brother Elijah Boggs, and their father Matthew Boggs had stepped off a bus.
“When lightning came out of the sky without warning, and entered Matthew’s body and traveled to Grayson,” the GoFundMe page states, “they were holding hands.”
Eleven-year-old Elijah said on May 17 that he and his friend “just joked” before they collapsed to the ground. He was speaking to local television channel KWTX.
I felt a great deal of fear. When I flipped Grayson over, he seemed to be smiling weakly. “I rolled my dad over and saw blood coming out of the middle of his head and his face was already purple, and at first I thought they were joking,” Elijah recalled.
The obituary states that 34-year-old Matthew died instantaneously, and the GoFundMe page states that his kid was sent to the Children’s Hospital in Temple, Texas.
Angela Boggs, Matthew’s mother, told KWTX on May 17 that her son and Grayson had a touching farewell conversation.
As Grayson puts it, “He just finished telling Grayson—he said, ‘I love you, buddy.’ The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed,” Angela said.
Grayson’s frontal lobe and optic nerve were both injured. After approximately a month, he finally gave in to his wounds.
At 5:05 this morning, Grayson went to be with the Lord and his father. As a family, we ask that you pray for them. Sweet child, I hope you soar. #graysonstrong,” Stephanie Burris, a family member, said in an update submitted to the GoFundMe page on June 16.
Insider’s request for comment submitted to Burris after business hours went unanswered.
The Grayson Boggs GoFundMe page is still up as of June 19. Fundraising is at 93.35% of the $100,000 target.
According to the CDC, lightning strikes kill an average of 28 persons annually in the United States. Deaths caused by lightning strikes are most common in Florida, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Alabama.
The National Weather Service warns that there is no nowhere to go outside during a thunderstorm that is completely safe. The group advises that as soon as people hear thunder, they should take refuge in a sturdy structure or a metal car with a hard top.
In addition, it stresses the need of staying away from towering things, such as trees, towers, and utility poles, during a thunderstorm.
The National Weather Service suggests breaking up into smaller groups if you must remain outdoors in a big one. Although this raises the odds of someone being hit, it often reduces the number of people hurt.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/6-old-boy-texas-died-052424299.html
