A Florida father is mourning his wife and 2-year-old daughter after a lightning strike killed them as the family tried to get inside during a thunderstorm.
Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her 2-year-old twin daughter, Kennedi, died Sunday, Aug. 23, after they were struck by lightning while arriving at a family member’s home in Margate, Florida.
The family had been heading to a dinner at an aunt’s home when a heavy thunderstorm moved into the area.
“We saw that the rain was picking up and we just said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get the girls inside.’ So, just a simple thing that anybody would do,” Kenya’s husband, Kameron Glasgow, told NBC Miami.
Glasgow said he was standing just feet away with the lightning struck his wife and daughter.
The couple’s other 2-year-old twin daughter, Kensli, was still inside the car at the time.
Glasgow told Miami’s Local 10 News that he felt the electricity from the strike.
“I got the aftershock from the ground,” he said. “By the grace of God, I’m still here.”
When he turned around, he saw his wife and daughter on the ground.
“The worst feeling in the world. And to turn around and see your wife and daughter there, lifeless, even worse,” Glasgow said.
Neighbors Rush to Help
Prince Moody told CBS News Miami that he had just gotten his own family inside when he heard thunder and saw an orange glow.
“My son, now, said to me, ‘Hey, Dad. I think somebody got hit. There’s a lady on the floor,’” Moody said. “And I’m like, ‘What? No way. Stop, man.’ And he said, ‘No, look.’ And I looked out my window, and I saw a lady on the floor.”
Moody said he ran across the street to help.
“As I get closer, there’s also a toddler lying a couple of feet from the mother,” Moody said. “Charred. It’s a scene that I never want to see again.”
First responders performed CPR on the victims before transporting them to area hospitals, where they were later pronounced dead.
Margate police are continuing to investigate the incident.
What are the chances of getting struck by lightning?
The tragedy comes as Florida continues to face a particularly high risk from lightning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the odds of an individual being struck by lightning are less than one in a million in a given year, and about 90% of people who are struck survive.
The CDC recommends going indoors as soon as you hear thunder because lightning can strike before a storm appears to be directly overhead. People should remain in a safe shelter until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Florida also has one of the highest rates of lightning activity and lightning-related deaths in the country.
‘I’m Hurt’
For Glasgow, the tragedy has left him mourning both his wife and his daughter.
He told Local 10 that Kenya was his high school sweetheart. The two met during their senior year, and he described her as one of his heroes, alongside his late father.
“She helped make me into the man that I am today,” Glasgow said.
He described Kennedi as an “Energizer Bunny” who loved music, especially songs by singer Benson Boone.
“I’ve never seen a 2-year-old sing Benson Boone on a karaoke with a mic word for word,” he said. “Two years old and as clear as day. ‘Beautiful Things,’ that’s her favorite song.”
Glasgow also shared a tribute to his wife and daughter on Facebook.
“I just lost my best friend. My daughter just lost her best friend,” he wrote. “I’m hurt; we are hurt, but if you’ve gotten the chance to feel that beautiful light my wife and daughter brought into your life, cherish it… Kenya, Kennedi, I love you both so much. I thank you both for choosing me as your husband and father.”
Glasgow has not responded to Atlanta Black Star’s request for additional information regarding the tragedy.
