Couple And Newborn Survive Lightning Strike

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A couple and their newborn are miraculously recovering after being hit by lightning.

Albuquerque residents Ian Gordon and his pregnant girlfriend, Kendra Villanueva, had been watching the fireworks and began to head inside as a lightning storm started to move in on July Fourth.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t escape the strike. They were hit under a tree in front of Gordon’s mother’s house.

“I had turned and started walking,” Gordon told Action 7 News. “And next thing I remember, I woke up on the ground. My car alarm was blaring and I was dazed. I didn’t know what happened.”

Gordon suffered a ruptured ear drum where the lightning either entered or left his body. Villanueva had a bleeding finger where the electricity had left her body. She worried about her unborn child.

“I woke up and I didn’t think she was going to make it for sure,” Villanueva said. Luckily, first responders in the area were minutes away and got to the couple quickly. Villanueva had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section. Her baby was born and although doctors aren’t sure yet, they think Kimberly Samantha Rose Gordon will be fine.

And she has definitely earned her nickname. “Last name’s Gordon, so little Flash Gordon,” Gordon told station KRQE.

The couple got to thank the emergency workers who saved their lives and ensured the safe delivery of the baby. The team received the “hero’s coin,” presented by the Albuquerque Fire Department.

To avoid strikes during lightning season, April to November in most areas, follow simple precautions.

Start by checking the weather. If a lightning storm is coming, stay indoors if possible. If outside, stay away from trees, or higher ground, and if you’re in the water, get out. If your hair stands on end, lightning is about to strike — FEMA advises you to make yourself as small as possible by squatting low to the ground with your hands over your ears and your head between your knees.