Good Samaritans credited with saving couple’s lives after lightning strike on Central Florida trail
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
An Orange County private school community is showing support for the husband and wife who were injured by a lightning strike in Winter Garden on Wednesday night.
Aaron and Clare Walenga work at the Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, where their three children are students in the Upper School.
The Foundation Academy president told WESH 2 the couple is on their road to recovery thanks to the three Good Samaritans who stopped to help them on the West Orange Trail.
“They’re alive,” Dr. Jeff Lawrence said, “we have a lot to be grateful for.”
Aaron and Clare Walenga remained in the hospital Friday afternoon.
“I’m a native,” Dr. Lawrence said. “I’ve never known somebody who was actually struck by lightning.”
Mr. Walenga teaches leadership in the Upper School. He’s also a lacrosse and golf coach. His wife works for admissions.
“It’s two of our staff members who we dearly love,” Dr. Lawrence said. “These are wonderful people. And so, obviously concerned, began to pray.”
He said he rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center on Wednesday when he found out about the lightning strike.
“(Aaron) was awake and talking,” Dr. Lawrence said. “He was in pain, obviously, beaten up just a little bit, but we were really concerned about Clare because she was unresponsive earlier.”
A few hours later, Dr. Lawrence said they got a positive update about Clare.
“We got news that they were going to be removing the breathing tube,” he said. “And that’s a miracle.”
Dr. Lawrence said he’s spoken with the three Good Samaritans who called 911 and stepped in to help.
“If she’s not breathing, we need to start CPR, so I need to know,” the dispatcher said on the 911 call.
“We’re doing CPR,” the caller replied. “Yeah, she’s not breathing. We are doing CPR. We’re doing compressions.”
Dr. Lawrence said he believes this was divine intervention.
“If they hadn’t have stopped earlier, just stopped and waited for a moment and kept going, I don’t know when we would have found them because there was nobody else out on the trail,” he said. “And so, them coming back, they literally saved Clare’s life.”
According to the Winter Garden police incident report, “Aaron informed the officer the fact that he remembered holding hands with (Clare) before both were struck by lightning.”
“That just shows who they are,” Dr. Lawrence said. “They have a deep love, deep faithfulness to one another, and you know it would not be uncommon to see them embracing and walking down the trail.”
A parent at the school has set up an online fundraiser for Aaron and Clare Walenga.
As of Friday afternoon, it had raised nearly $35,000.