A pregnant New Mexico woman gave birth to a baby girl after lightning struck her and the baby's father in the front yard of their home off I-40 and Eubank, Albuquerque.
Kendra Villanueva and husband Ian Gordon from Albuquerque, New Mexico, were admiring the spectacular view of July 4 fireworks along with their friends when lightning struck both of them in the front yard of their Albuquerque home, knocking them down on the ground, authorities said.
Firefighters reached the scene within minutes as they were on another call nearby. Lt. Ryan Perry with Albuquerque Fire Department told KRQE-TV that the couple was in shock and appeared confused.
Villanueva, with two weeks to go before her due date, was rushed to University of New Mexico Medical Center, where she had an emergency cesarean section. She gave birth to a baby girl and named the newborn Kimberly Samantha Rose Gordon. Doctors said that the baby was doing fine but will be under observation. But the couple, Villanueva and Gordon, suffers muscle seizures and Ian's eardrum has been blown out due to the shock.
The joy of the newborn seems to have overridden the couple's worries and the parents are thankful for their survival. The couple has been thinking of nicknames for their little one who survived the lightning.
"Last name's Gordon, so little Flash Gordon," Ian said. "We're hoping for, you know - run fast, or save the universe."
The doctor who inspected the couple at the scene said that the survival of babies in such cases is very rare. Out of 11 recorded incidents, only about half of these babies survived.
