That Thursday was her 28th birthday, her family said. So while Amber waited for her husband to pick her up for festive dinner, one day she was looking for shelter again from the same tree, huddle with three others under its outstretched branches, according to her family and power.
One of them was Brooks Lambertson, young as well as rising bank vice president from Los Angeles. There was Donna Muller, 75, a retired teacher, and her husband James Mueller, 76 who came from Wisconsin to Washington to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary. And then there was Ember young a woman from California whose travels in teaching English in the Middle East has awakened a desire to help affected by war and poverty in what region.
They are Were strangers taken to that exact spot on East side of Place Lafayette, at that very moment for different reasons – businessvacation, passion for help.
Just before 7 pm it was in that place – under a deciduous tree about 100 feet from the statue of President Andrew Jackson – struck by lightning.
Later experts record a strike in in area as six individual bursts of electricity, which hit same point in in space of half a second. If electricity hit a tree first, experts said it would send hundreds of millions of volts passing through it before passing into the body of gathered below him.
“It shocked the whole area”, – later recalled an eyewitness. “Literally like bomb off it how it sounded.”
Hit left all four are badly injured. US Secret Service and Park Police – who keep the park in front of White House under constant patrol – ran to help.
Friday morning police announced an elderly couple from Wisconsin died. Later that night, a banker from Los Angeles also died, police said.
Amber will be the only survivor.
The lightning strike stopped Amber’s heart, she said. brother Robert F. Escudero. two nurses, who happened to visit the White House on vacation and saw the secret service running to help, immediately began doing CPR on her and managed to restore her pulse, he said.
Lightning strike left she is unable walk as well as caused severe burns along left side of her body and hand, her family said. it side her bag was oncarrying the iPad she was using sign people up for donations from refugees.
Her parents rushed to Washington from California, and her mother documented it fight reestablish on Facebook. Lightning strike left Amber struggling in first breathe, her motherJulie Escudero wrote. But by Friday, the nurses were able to pick her up. off fan.
Lightning also damaged her short-term memory. She was frightened and confused by what had happened to her. “We are definitely not want her to remember this incident right now, mother wrote on Facebook. But every time she wakes up mother wrote, she asks what happened to her, she is going to die and can she walk? Her family said one what worried her most was her work fundraising for refugees.
She majored in international research in attended college and traveled to Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, according to her brother And her work profile. She spent year English language teaching in Jordan and soon after the start of fundraising for non-profit organizations. She started working in Washington last year for a group titled “Granting Threshold” and specifically on fundraising for International Rescue Committee, global aid agency.
” first thing she said to me when we FaceTimed: “I need get back to work on Saturday,” said Robert Escudero. “She worries about parenting money for refugee children. She asked me “Who will get money for them if I don’t out there?'”
A friend created a GoFundMe page to collect money for her medical bills. So her brother said he promised Amber that work with Providing a Threshold in coming days to also create way for people who learn about her survival story donate to refugees.
one her thing family not flashed yet with she is destiny of other who we with her that night under the tree.
“She begins to understand that there were others, and wants know how they do and what did she do wrong,” her mother said in Facebook post on Sunday. “She cares so much for others, it will hard for her.”
There are many signs on Sunday of in fatal The lightning strike was still visible in Place Lafayette.
The tree bears stripes of charred bark, cracks and a large wound in in main the trunk where the tree is left twisted like bruise. People passing through Lafayette Square stopped by a tree to look at the scars.
One of it was Cal Vargas, a childhood friend of Lambertson, who died. He brought a wreath and a bouquet of put white flowers at the base of wood. Vargas and Lambertson have been friends since kindergarten and growing up up together in Folsom, California where they shared a passion for sports and Sacramento Kings.
“He was an amazing man,” Vargas said quietly. “Always smiling on his face was always looking at bright side of things.”
Previously on in The day the lightning struck, 29-year-old Lambertson arrived in Washington on a business trip from Los Angeles. He was spending time before booking dinner when he was caught in storm, Vargas said.
In a telephone interview, Lambertson father, who The Washington Post does not release his name to protect his privacy, he said. son was “probably best man that I know”. He said that his son’s kindness, generosity and humility “showed up in everything he did in all his interactions with people”.
Worked at City National Bank as Vice President of Management sponsorships for company. He was in marketing for Los Angeles Clippers NBA, and graduated from California Polytechnic State University. in San Luis Obispo, according to the statement bank.
An elderly couple from Wisconsin who also died that day, celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary, family participants said.
Donna Mueller, 75, and her husband, 76-year-old James Mueller was a school friend before his marriage. James had drywall business for decades while his wife worked as a teacher, according to one of their daughtersin-law, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her privacy.
The couple lived in Janesville, Wisconsin, about 70 miles to the west. of Milwaukee, and he had five adult children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Both will do anything for them family and friends,” relatives said. in statement.
Chances of someone is killed by lightning extremely rarely. in past decade, average only of 23 people in The United States has died every year.
Multiple deaths even more rare. Before last week strike, last times three people died in one case was more than 18 years ago on June 27, 2004, when three people in Georgia was hit by trees at Bedford Dam State Park, said John Jensenius, a National Lightning Safety Council specialist.
Because lightning tends to strike tall objects, experts warn that taking cover under a tree during a thunderstorm is very dangerous. When the tree hit electric charge, moisture and juice in wood easily conducts electricity, carrying it to the ground around the tree, experts say.
“When lightning strikes a tree, the charge does not penetrate deep into the ground, but spreads out along the surface of the earth,” Jensenius said. “It makes the whole area around the tree is dangerous, and anyone standing under or near a tree is vulnerable.”
For this and other reasons, Amber’s survival seemed like a miracle. family said. If it didn’t happen in Correctly in front of the white house where secret service agents are hosted. If two nurses who revived it was not on vacation and saw what happened.
On Saturday night, Amber was finally able to do some steps on her own, her family said. She should have start master program in international relations this fall at Johns Hopkins University – latest step in her work trying help refugees and persons suffering abroad.
“She is an amazing, strong-willed person. And she has such a heart for others”, her brother said. “So goal Now gotta make her walk again to the lessons of time start in few weeks.”
Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
