13-year-old hit by lightning at El Mirage park has long recovery ahead

PHOENIX — The 13-year-old boy who was critically injured after being struck by lightning in a Phoenix-area park during a monsoon storm earlier this month will be OK, but he still has a long road of recovery ahead.

Josiah Wiedman was discharged from the Phoenix Children’s Hospital on Monday, five days after he and a friend were injured while at a park near Flores Street and Moreno Boulevard.

Wiedman had suffered cardiac arrest and bystanders were administering CPR when police arrived.

In a post on a GoFundMe page for the boy, his aunt Danielle Castaneda said her nephew will miss at least two weeks of school and will need speech and occupational therapy.

“Due to the concussion, Josiah will be out of school for at least two weeks. He is to limit his brain activity such as watching TV, reading, etc. to give his brain time to heal,” part of the post read.

“William [his father] said that the doctor said to limit visits to 45 mins. Yesterday his friends stayed a little longer and Josiah was in pain for the rest of the day. (Lesson learned!)”

The GoFundMe had raised more than $3,400 of its $5,000 goal by Wednesday afternoon. Castaneda said the money will “will help with the hospital stay and some of the co-pays of the specialist and therapist.”

Several media outlets obtained video from a home surveillance camera showing Josiah and a teenage friend getting hit by the lightning.

The video shows a bright orange and yellow bolt that lasts less than two seconds.

The other boy was not seriously injured.

Josiah’s father, William Wiedman, said his son’s heart stopped but he had no internal injuries.

The El Mirage Firefighter Charities will also host a car wash to support the families of the boys from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Walmart near Thunderbird and Dysart roads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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