Kinslee Tschida, an eight-year-old girl playing in her backyard in Serena, Illinois, died after being struck by lightning while on a swing set. Although a storm was approaching the area, the family claims it was still far away.
The minor’s grandfather, Chris Scheib, comments on CNN that he received a painful call last Friday in which the family informed him that his granddaughter had died a few hours after he had said goodbye to her. Scheib explained that, had he been closer to the house, the little girl could have been saved: “He [the relative] said he just heard a crash and shouted: ‘Hey, get down now!’, and turned around. Just like that. He was about 4 or 5 meters from the house. In 5 or 10 seconds, she would have been safe,” he recounts.
He, who works on the farm and knows the dangers of lightning well, states that the family could not have done anything to save her. Her sister was very close to her and was saved by a miracle: “My other granddaughter was standing about 90 to 120 centimeters away from her.”
A ‘queen bee’
Kinslee’s grandparents described their granddaughter as a very mature child, to the point that in her class they saw her as a true leader and nicknamed her “the queen bee.” “She had a particular way of entering a room. She simply commanded respect,” recalled Scheib.
For the family, the loss has been a devastating blow. Faced with the tragedy, their town’s community and the internet have rallied around them to help them cover the resulting expenses. To this end, they have started a campaign on GoFundMe with the goal of raising $30,000, a target they are already very close to reaching. “Every donation, no matter the amount, will go toward medical expenses, funeral and memorial costs, and providing support to Meghan (her mother) during the difficult days ahead,” the plea for help reads.
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This incident is being investigated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the coroner’s office.
