VALRICO, Fla. (WFLA) – An 11-year-old Valrico boy is lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning earlier this year. The incident happened while Levi Stock was out boating with family in Riverview in June. He has now made nearly a full recovery.
The Stock family said he had a rope in hand ready to tie up the boat as they approached Williams Park Boat Ramp. Levi’s mother, Kristen, said a lightning bolt came out of nowhere and Levi ended up in the water.
He is now back to playing lacrosse and his parents are grateful.
“I do still have a little bit of pain in my legs but not a lot, Levi said.
Levi’s dad, Derek Stock, saved his son’s life by starting CPR immediately after he pulled Levi from the water.
“I started in the boat, breaths and compressions and then they pulled the boat up to the beach right there and we got him off the boat and onto the ground.”
Paramedics arrived quickly transported Levi to the hospital where he spent four days.
Now, Derek Stock, who, ironically works for Tampa Electric, shares their experience using a power point presentation in hopes of encouraging others to learn CPR.
“It feel likes an eternity when you’re doing CPR on your own child.”
Stock knows things could have ended much differently that day if he hadn’t known how to perform CPR.
“The doctor basically said it was the circulation that kept the oxygen going to his brain.”
Stacie Schaible and the WFLA News Channel 8 team are once again gearing up to fight heart disease and stroke with the American Heart Association. Join our WFLA team Saturday, Nov. 5th from 8-11 a.m.
