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Boy, 16, hit by lightning dies
By Times Staff
Published July 26, 2007
Sam Santilli, 16, died Tuesday, four days after he was struck by lightning on Treasure Island Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Sam was knocked unconscious on Friday and taken to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg after lightning hit him and his mother, Maureen Machajewski, as they headed for cover from a morning thunderstorm. Machajewski, 46, who was visiting from Texas, recovered from the strike. Friends left about 50 messages on Sam's MySpace page Tuesday and Wednesday, saying he was a funny, amazing person who will be missed. Sam would have been an incoming junior at Hillsborough High School in Tampa and played soccer, said Hillsborough County schools spokesman Steve Hegarty. Although classes aren't in session, grieving students can contact the school for counseling, Hegarty said. "Schools are like families," Hegarty said. "There are still people around who will respond."
[Last modified July 26, 2007, 08:33:32]
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