Lake Isabella boy struck by lightning, lives to talk about it

Share

By Jose Gaspar, Eyewitness News

Summary

Tyler Simmons was just riding his bike home on a cloudy windy morning in Lake Isabella. Moments later, the 13-year-old was thrown from his bike and was lying on the ground with no idea he had just been the victim of a lightning strike.

Story Created: Jun 3, 2009 at 10:37 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jun 4, 2009 at 9:27 PM PDT

Lake Isabella boy struck by lightning, lives to talk about it

Tyler Simmons of Lake Isabella struck by lightning.

Tyler Simmons loves to do favors for his neighbors in Lake Isabella. One of his favorites is mowing lawns. Tyler had just completed mowing
a lawn and was riding his bike home.

But about half a block away from his home, Tyler felt a jolt and the next thing he knew he was on the ground in pain.

"It shook me, it shook me all the way off my bike I was up in the air," said the 13-year-old.

Two neighbors who happened to be outside were watching the cloudy skies and the lightning produced by those dark clouds. They saw one of those bolts strike either Tyler's bike or the ground very close to him.
Marcy Bushling called 911 and ran to help Tyler.

"We sat him down and the 911 operator told us if he was burning to pour cold water on him, so we went and got cold water and put it on his knees," said Bushling.

Tyler narrowly escaped taking a direct hit by the lightning. He says he felt his body tingling, hot and being in pain.

"I remember screaming, screaming!" said Tyler.

Tyler was rushed to Kern Valley Hospital where tests came back as normal says his mother. No burns, no broken bones except for a banged up knee that left Tyler with a limp. He was released from the hospital a few hours later. But older brother Stephen Corcoran was plenty worried.

"I was panicked. Even though he's my little brother and I like picking on him and all that, but I was still scared because I thought he was going to die," said Stephen.

By late afternoon, Tyler was back at home telling arriving relatives and friends about his electrifying experience almost as if nothing had ever happened.

"I'm still here today! I could still go mow yards," said Tyler.