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Family mourns 8-year-old girl killed by lightning strike while playing in her backyard

The National Lightning Safety Council says the death is the fourth U.S. lightning fatality this year as investigators review the strike.

  • Eight-Year-Old Kinslee Tschida died after being struck by lightning while getting off a backyard swing in Serena, Illinois, on Friday. Her grandfather, Chris Scheib, witnessed the incident ahead of an approaching storm.
  • Scheib heard a rumble and ordered his granddaughter to "get off now" just moments before the strike. The lightning hit 15 to 18 feet from the house; he noted five or 10 seconds would have prevented the tragedy.
  • In a separate incident last week, 51-year-old Viktar Kiryk died after being struck by lightning while in the water at Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Three family members with him were transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
  • Mourning the girl known at school as the "Queen Bee," Kinslee's family established a GoFundMe to assist with medical and funeral expenses. The community has provided outpouring support as the family navigates life without her.
  • Kinslee's death marks the fourth lightning fatality this year in the United States, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Authorities urge people to seek shelter immediately if they hear thunder or see lightning, as summer storms develop rapidly.
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Kinslee Tschida, an 8-year-old girl from Illinois (USA), has died as she was struck by lightning while playing on a swing in the courtyard of her home with her sister, who was unharmed. Both were at a distance of just 90 or 120 centimeters, and the moments prior to the impact "did not offer any clear warning" . This was communicated to CNN by the grandfather of the two little ones, Chris Scheib, who works on a farm and knows well the dangers of …

·Spain
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Victim ID'd in deadly lightning strike at Florida beach that killed 1, hurt 3 others

A man died after being struck by lightning while in the water at Fort Myers Beach, according to authorities. The incident also sent three family members to the hospital.

·San Francisco, United States
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Center

Family mourns 8-year-old girl killed by lightning strike while playing in her backyard

The 8-year-old girl's family says the moments leading up to the lightning strike offered no clear warning.

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WCIA 3 News broke the news on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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