Father resuscitates 12-year-old daughter after she was struck by lightning in Sun City West
A father's quick reaction and a little help from the Bee Gee's, specifically "Staying Alive," is what kept a 12-year-old girl breathing after she was struck by lightning. Her father performed CPR three times, once to the beat of the song, after she was struck by lightning during Saturday's storms in Sun City West.
The girl, Ella, had stepped outside of her grandparent's house to play with a friend when her father Steven Jorgensen heard loud thunder, saw a bright flash and saw her collapse.
Doctors say Jorgensen's quick action is the reason his daughter is alive.
Jorgensen said he saw his daughter fall and immediately started performing CPR, which he learned while serving in the Marine Corps.
"I got her heart back going, I got her breathing, and it was only for a short amount of time until I lost her again," Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen restarted CPR, got her heart to beat again and brought her inside the home while his parents were calling 911. While he was talking to the dispatcher, Ella's heart stopped again.
"The only thing that was going through my mind was just the situation I had, "Jorgensen said. "I see my daughter and there is a whole different level of emotions... so it was a controlled panic. I just wanted to get her breathing again, to get her going."
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As Jorgensen started performing CPR for a third time, he said he was trying to remain calm and remembered a scene from the TV show "The Office" where they learn how to perform CPR.
"You could hear me singing the Bee Gee's 'Staying Alive' as I was giving her a resuscitation and then finally I got her going," Jorgensen said.
About three minutes later, emergency responders showed up and took over.
Ella was taken to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, and then she was flown to Valleywise Health Medical Center where she has been recovering "very well," said Dr. Kevin Foster, Director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health.
Whenever someone is struck by lightning, Foster said the worry is that the electricity that goes through the person has a very high voltage, which usually causes the heart to stop beating. The strike can also cause traumatic injuries from the force and burns, and it may affect a person's nervous system.
Even if someone survives a lightning strike, Foster said they often have "terrible" neurological outcomes. However, he said Ella's neurologic status was excellent and she only got a tiny and superficial burn that doesn't require specific treatments.
"She is basically unscathed. That's amazing," Foster said.
It appears Ella was near the strike and wasn't hit directly based on her clinical status, but Foster said they don't know for sure.
'She really owes her life to her father'
Jorgensen — who only scraped his knees during the incident — said Saturday felt like any other day when it rains in Arizona.
Ella doesn't remember much of what happened, except that when she was struck, a necklace she was wearing broke, which left her burns on her neck, Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen said that when they told her what had happened, Ella, who he described as chipper and outgoing, didn't believe them at first. Later, she said she would have a cool story to tell.
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"It's nice to see her take that approach," Jorgensen said.
Foster said Jorgensen was instrumental in saving Ella's life as he recognized that her heart had stopped and did effective CPR.
"She really owes her life to her father," Foster said.
Jorgensen said he had performed CPR before so having the experience helped him assess the situation and react. He said he just sees the situation as taking care of his daughter.
Ella was tired and had some burns in her chest but Jorgensen said she doing very well and she might be going home on Monday.
"I'm just happy and grateful that she's still here, breathing with a whole journey ahead. That's what's most important," Jorgensen said.
Stay inside to avoid lightning strikes
Foster said that while lightning striking someone is uncommon, unfortunately at the burn center they treat people who are struck by lightning "too often." He said he thinks it might be because storms in Arizona come suddenly and can be severe.
To prevent being struck by lightning, Foster said that if someone sees lightning or hears thunder, even if there is sunshine elsewhere, they should get inside and shelter.
"Even if you think that's a long ways away, if you can see lightning or hear thunder, you're in danger and you need to get to a safe place," Foster said.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona dad's quick CPR response saves daughter after lightning strike
