SANIBEL, Fla. — Saturday started off as a typical weekend on Sanibel beach. Deivid Tejera brought his family out for some fun in the sun, that was eventually interrupted by mother nature.
“The lightning struck so close to us, because we felt the thunder like right there!” he said.
Just 20 feet away from his tent, Tejera saw Brent and Kristen Jerome lying on their backs, and their children hovering over them.
“We saw the kids touching them, like hey mom, mom! Or dad, dad! That’s when we ran over to them, and we realized that they were unconscious,” he said.
The South Carolina couple had been struck by lightning. Tejera said his mom is a doctor and they tag-teamed CPR on Brent. She gave mouth-to-mouth, while he did chest compressions, and other people on the beach brought the kids to a tent away from their parents. As a father, Tejera’s glad they did that.
“I wouldn’t want my kids to see me in that condition. I mean, that’s traumatizing, you know?” he said.
But he’s still worried about the dad - Brent who remains in critical condition at a Lee Health Hospital. Tejera said he did what anyone would do in the situation and now he’s hoping for the best for Brent.
“Especially for him - I just wish that they recover. I wish the best for all of them. The entire family,” said Tejera.
The couple’s church family - Downtown Church held a prayer ceremony Tuesday night in Columbia, South Carolina. They wrote notes and collected donations for the family.
