Terrifying footage of a teenage boy at a doorbell was shown moments before he was struck by lightning while trying to take shelter from a storm.
Cameron Day, 16, was cycling home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday when he was caught in a downpour.
It appears the teen was trying to hide under a tree from the storm. He was last seen in doorbell footage sitting on his bike waiting for the storm to pass.
Zandra Laguna, a local resident, said she saw Day sitting on his bike and a few seconds later heard a “really loud” lightning strike.
Speaking with NBC Miamishe said, “I thought I’d been hit for a moment because it was so hard and it was like a flash, and then I realized I was fine.”
Cameron Day, 16, was riding his bike home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday when he was caught in a downpour
The teenager decided to hide under a tree from the storm and was last seen in doorbell footage sitting on his bike, waiting for the storm to pass.
She continued, “So I ran inside, but I’ve heard lightning before, but never that loud. No one thinks you’re going to get hit like that, let alone die from it.”
Emergency services rushed to the scene and treated him for cardiac arrest, then rushed him 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 later the rescue came, they stopped here and I saw them pick up the same child that I had just seen standing there.
“I assumed lightning had struck him because he had been fine a few seconds earlier.”
Local10 Images taken at the scene show parts of the sidewalk missing where the lightning struck.
According to his family, Day was the youngest of four children and the only boy. He was also diagnosed with autism at a young 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 children and the only boy. He was also diagnosed with autism at a young age
Emergency services rushed to the scene, where he was treated for cardiac arrest before being rushed to hospital, where he died.
In a statement, his parents Cameron and Lealani said: “As you can imagine, we are overwhelmed. His death and the manner in which he died is beyond comprehension.
‘Cameron was LOVED and made everyone he came into contact with happy in his own special way.’
Mark Howard, principal of McArthur High School, said in an email: “Last night an 11th grade student passed away.
“While I cannot share further details about the student’s untimely death, I offer my deepest condolences to the student’s family and loved ones, teachers and classmates. He will be missed.”
Local10 spoke to some of the teenager’s classmates on Friday, who described him as friendly.
Local10 captured footage from the crime scene showing parts of the missing sidewalk where the lightning struck
Jada Santil told the newspaper: ‘He was very nice, outgoing, talked to everyone and played his instrument very well.
“That was a crazy thing. I never thought it would happen to someone I know.”
While another added: ‘Cameron was a good guy. He was very caring, knew how to dress and put on the right clothes.’
A GoFundMe page has also been founded to help his family, and so far the company has raised over $20,000 of its $35,000 goal.
According to the National Weather Service, Florida tops the list for lightning deaths, with about 30 people dying in the state each year.
