Teen struck by lightning recovering in Portland
By Associated PressLA PINE, Ore. (AP) - A 14-year-old La Pine boy is recovering at a Portland hospital after he was struck by lightning on the edge of a parking lot at La Pine High School. The Deschutes County sheriff's office says a violent storm moved through the Central Oregon town Wednesday evening, interrupting after-school sports and driving other students and staff members inside the building. The victim was identified as Austin Melton. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition before being flown to Legacy Emanuel in Portland, where he was reported to have improved to fair condition after being treated in the burn unit. Storms that moved over the area on Wednesday included rain and hail, in addition to lightning. The teenager's father, Chuck Melton, said the lightning struck his son's head. He suffered a broken eardrum, severe burns on his ankle, and likely will have cataracts in his eyes. Additional tests on the youngster will be performed. A Little League championship game between Sunriver and La Pine at nearby Finley Butte was stopped when lightning struck the field, according to Sunriver's assistant coach, Joel Shuster. "We were right in the middle of it, and the kids were freaking out," Shuster said. "I think the adults were more frightened than the kids, because they knew what the potential of it was." |
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