ORLANDO, Fla. – The family of a 12-year-old Minnesota girl has remained in Central Florida for several weeks after the girl was struck by lightning.
Mila Yang, 12, was visiting a Brevard County beach on Aug. 14, when she was severely injured. The girl had remained unconscious for several weeks in an Orlando hospital.
The girl’s aunt was recording a video for social media at the very moment the lightning hit. The video shows the girl enter the water and then shows her aunt and mother fall on the ground when the strong bolt hits. Her family said moments after the clip in the video, they discovered the girl unconscious in the water.
The girl’s mother, Nalee Yang said she hasn’t left her daughter’s side since the incident.
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“When I saw her in the water, I called her and said, ‘baby come back, that’s too far.’ Then suddenly a thunderstorm,” Yang said. “Suddenly heard a loud noise and you are off, you fall down. You can’t move, couldn’t turn, couldn’t breathe.”
Yang said doctors told her Mila might require 24/7 long-term care.
“We didn’t know anything about Florida. We know lots of people come and take their kids on vacations to the beach or Disney. We didn’t know anything about thunderstorms,” Nalee Yang said.
The girl’s uncle, Doua Lor said he flew to Florida from his home in Iowa as soon as he found out what happened to his niece. Lor said the Central Florida community has been very supportive during this trying time while away from home.
“We were just heartbroken. It’s just like a dream that we never expected. And even now today it’s like a dream, but it’s reality,” Lor said “Hopefully someday we will meet the people we didn’t know who have donated, saying a prayer for our family that we can personally thank them.”
The family has created a GoFundMe page as Mila continues her recovery in the hospital.
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