A baby whose mother was struck by a lightning that led to his early delivery passed away after two weeks.
In Florida, a 26-year-old pregnant mother, Meghan Davidson, was struck by a lightning in the head while she was walking just outside her home on June 30. That caused her to give birth to his son a week before she was due.
Meghan’s mom quickly rushed her to the hospital, where doctors performed the C-section. That was when Owen Davidson was born. While little Owen’s heart beat perfectly, doctors kept him alive using oxygen assistance but, unfortunately, he passed away on July 4.
“We do not know how the fetus is affected by lightning, but we have a special case here in that the child’s injury may not have been from lightning, but from a lack of oxygen as the mother was in cardiac arrest,” Mary Ann Cooper, a doctor who handles lightning-related injuries, told the newspaper earlier this month.
“It depends on how long the mother was in cardiac arrest and how long it took to deliver the child.”
Meanwhile Meghan was in intensive care because her lung collapsed and she suffered a cardiac arrest. She could only react with her eyes when her husband said her name, WBBH reported.
The mom-of-two is still recovering and was sent home on July 8. The couple’s church members are planning prayer vigils in commemoration of Owen.
‘I think it’s devastating, you know, you just don’t understand why some tragedy happens,’ church member Linda Kelly said.
This is the 6th lightning death of the year in US and the 4th in Florida. Based on the past 10 years, the U.S. averages 16 strike-related fatalities through July 13.
Sources: Fox News 23, NBC 2 Video Source: NBC 2
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