A teenager dies after being struck by lightning while hunting with her father

A 16-year-old teenager died this Thursday after being struck by lightning while she was hunting with her father. Initially, the young woman was transferred to a hospital in Florida, USA, where she arrived in critical condition, according to authorities.

“Baylee Holbrook and her father were hunting last Tuesday when lightning struck them,” the Putnam County Sheriff's Office in northeastern Florida reported.

According to official information, the teenager's father, Matthew Holbrook, lost consciousness and when he recovered he saw that his daughter was not breathing.. He immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and called emergency services.

Holbrook, a cheerleader at Palatka High School, was transported to HCA Florida Putnam Hospital in the town of Palatka, where she was stabilized before being transported to a medical center specializing in trauma, according to local media.

“Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate the difficult road ahead and respect their privacy,” the Putnam Sheriff's Office says in a statement.

The teenager's family has told local media First Coast News that Baylee suffered major trauma from the lightning strike.

Florida, the state most affected by lightning

The lightning tracking company Vaisala, in its annual report, shows Florida as the most active state in the country for this dangerous phenomenon, where up to almost 110 lightning bolts can strike per square kilometer.

Experts in the field estimate that, on average, 10 people die and 30 are injured each year in Florida by lightning, in part of the cases in the Tampa area (west), considered the “lightning capital” of North America by the abundance of thunderstorms that occur in your area.