SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 8, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — The three Wyoming girls struck by lightning in Summit County last Friday are expected to make a full recovery.
That’s according to a message from their family, which also thanks first responders and asks for privacy. On Tuesday evening, Primary Children’s Hospital released the Thompson family’s message:
We would like to thank the community for their thoughts and prayers for our three daughters, who were injured by lightning during a family outing Friday, Aug. 4.
We are happy to say that the girls, ages 7, 6, and 3, are healing well and are expected to make a full recovery. At this time, we ask for privacy so that we can maintain our focus on the health and healing of our children. We will not be granting media interviews at this time.
We would like to thank the first responders, both on the mountain and in the hospitals, for everything they’ve done to help in the rescue and treatment of our daughters. We’d also like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Primary Children’s Hospital and Evanston Regional Hospital for their exceptional care.
We also would like to encourage everyone to become trained in CPR. We know that without our CPR training, two of our children may not have survived their injuries that day. CPR truly does save lives.
The three girls were fishing with their parents at Lily Lake, in the Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, when a lightning storm started. The family sought cover under a tree, not remembering that lightning bolts usually strike things that are taller than the surrounding area.
When the bolt hit, the two older daughters were struck in the back with exit wounds near their hips. Their father revived them by doing CPR, Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said at a news conference.
The older girls were transported to a Salt Lake City hospital by air ambulance in critical condition, Martinez said. The youngest girl was in fair condition, so was taken to Wyoming’s Evanston Regional Hospital by ground ambulance.
A GoFundMe account indicating it was set up by the father’s sister on the family’s behalf has set a goal of raising $5,000. The post reads:
We are raising money to help my brother pay for medical expenses after all three of his daughters were struck by lightning. The older two were Life Flighted and the youngest transported by ambulance. The prolonged hospital stay and cost of hotel rooms are overwhelming. Thanks for all the concern and well wishes!
