Mother and 2-Year-Old Daughter Killed by Lightning Strike in Margate

MARGATE, Fla. — A 31-year-old mother and her 2-year-old daughter died Sunday after they were struck by lightning in a Margate neighborhood, authorities said.

Margate Police and Margate Fire Rescue responded around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday August 23rd to reports of two people struck by lightning near the 7900 block of Northwest First Street. When first responders arrived, they found the mother and child lying on a sidewalk and immediately began CPR and other lifesaving measures.

Police identified the mother as Kenya Glasgow, 31. She was transported to North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach, while her daughter was taken with a police escort to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Despite efforts by first responders and hospital personnel, both were pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospitals.

A neighbor, Prince Moody, said the strike happened suddenly. He reported hearing an exceptionally loud lightning strike and seeing an orange flash through his window. His son then alerted him that someone appeared to have been struck outside. Moody rushed from his home to assist and called 911.

Witness accounts indicate Glasgow and her daughter may have just gotten out of their vehicle when the lightning struck. Other local reporting said the family had been trying to get from their vehicle into their home as a thunderstorm moved through the area.

The deaths came as thunderstorms moved across South Florida Sunday afternoon. According to The Washington Post, nearly 24,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strokes were detected across Florida over a 24-hour period surrounding the incident.

The Margate Police Department continues to investigate the incident.

This story may be updated as additional information becomes available.