An 8-year-old girl was killed by a lightning strike in rural Illinois.
Kinslee Tschida was playing with her cousins in her family's back yard on July 3 when she was suddenly struck by a leader, just a few feet from her family members and the house itself. The incident occurred in Serena, Illinois.
"Kinslee was a bright light in every sense of the word," Kinslee's aunt, Samantha Wallace, wrote in a
GoFundMe for her family. "She loved to sing, dance, and bring joy to everyone around her. Her loud, unforgettable laugh could fill an entire room, and her smile had a way of making even the hardest days a little brighter. She loved with a heart far bigger than her small frame, and anyone who had the privilege of knowing her was touched by her kindness, energy, and love."
Tschida's grandfather, Chris Scheib, recounted the incident to local news outlet
WGN-TV on July 8. He said that Kinslee and her cousins were swinging on a swing set in her uncle's backyard when her uncle heard the rumble of thunder. A former barge deckhand, the uncle was familiar with lightning detection systems and immediately told them to go inside. But the lightning leader struck in the exact spot where she was standing.
“Kinslee was just climbing off, and all of a sudden, in an instant. I mean, there was no warning, and there was no lightning. It came right in between the tree,” he said.
Scheib said the swing set was less than 20 feet from the house, and that Kinslee's cousin was standing less than four feet away from where she was standing. She and other family members nearby were all unharmed.
“An accident, you think you’d have time to try to save a life," Scheib recounted. They did try CPR. My son and my daughter—on her own daughter—and being a nurse, you know she took that real hard. She can’t save her own daughter.”
Kinslee was taken to OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa, where she was pronounced dead.
Wallace started a GoFundMe to raise money for Kinslee's mother, Meghan Scheib, to cover medical expenses, funeral costs, and other bills while she takes time off to grieve her loss.
Kinslee's wake will be held on July 13, and the
funeral and burial will be held on July 14.
Oh Pickles, a local food stand, remembered her and said that for every sale between Friday and Monday, it would donate $1 to help cover the family's costs.
"Some people who walk through our doors become so much more than customers—they become part of our Oh Pickles family," the stand wrote on
Facebook. "Meghan and sweet Kinslee were two of those people. They loved stopping by Oh Pickles for their favorite pickles, and their visits always brought smiles to our day. Our hearts are broken for everyone who loved Kinslee.
