NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The family of one of the men hit by lightning in New Smyrna Beach Tuesday said they have been told he’s not likely to survive, but now they’re facing challenges trying to say goodbye to him.
The family said Julio Cesar Lopez, 27, has been given about a 10% chance of survival and while they are holding out hope for him, they say their goal is to get his parents here to say goodbye.
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“We still have hope. Hope is the last thing you lose,” said Lopez’s cousin Francisco Vasquez.
Vasquez said on Tuesday, Lopez was working for their family’s lawn care business at a property in New Smyrna Beach, while Vasquez was working at another property nearby.
“It started lightning, I called my brother and said ‘hey what’s going on? There’s lightning I’m leaving. Where are you guys?’ He answered saying ‘hang on, lightning just struck,’” said Vasquez.
He said a short time later came the phone call: the lightning actually hit Lopez and the tree next to him. Firefighters said good Samaritans started CPR on Lopez, eventually bringing back a pulse.
“He came back but he unfortunately lost oxygen to his brain for more than 20 minutes causing fatal injuries,” said Vasquez.
Lopez moved to Florida from Texas in February to help the family business but his parents still live in Mexico.
Vasquez said the parents went to fly to Florida but their passports were expired so they applied for a temporary permit on Thursday.
“They haven’t accepted it yet. We’re hoping in a few hours we’ll get an answer and approval,” said Vasquez.
A GoFundMe has been started for the family to help with those costs and future expenses.
“That’s what we’re doing. Planning for what we all know is going to happen so that’s what it is for, basically,” he said.
In the meantime, Vasquez said doctors at Halifax Health are doing what they can to make sure the parents can have their goodbye.
“That’s their goal, that’s my family’s goal. To keep him alive until his parents get here but the doctors said there’s only so much they can do,” he said.
Vasquez said this would not be the family’s first loss. He said Lopez’s sister was killed in a tragic accident several years ago, which he said is making it that much more important to them to get his parents here.