A Nottingham woman is in a coma after being struck by lighting while on holiday in Croatia. Daniella DiMambro, 48, is reportedly being flown back to the UK for further treatment after a relative explained how her heart stopped for 30 minutes.
Daniella, a physiotherapist, was at a beach near Split with her daughter when the incident happened. The pair were sheltering from a thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon, August 27, when she was allegedly hit and knocked unconscious as the pair tried to reach the safety of a nearby hotel.
Passers-by were only alerted to the horrific incident by screams and luckily a medic was on hand, having been dealing with a bike accident in a local triathlon. The Mirror reports that she was taken to KBC hospital and put on a ventilator while being treated for burns and internal injuries.
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Despite remaining in a coma, she has been deemed well enough to return from Croatia on a medical flight which is set to land at East Midlands Airport, from where she will be transferred to hospital. A relative of Daniella's told the Daily Mail: “She will be flying home, which is obviously a relief but we just don’t know what sort of condition she is in.
“She is no longer sedated but she is still in a coma and the doctors in Britain will assess her and then let us know about internal injuries and any brain damage. She is still in a serious condition and we are all very concerned, as her heart stopped for 30 minutes following the lightning strike but she was saved by the paramedics and a doctor who was on hand. We are all very grateful to them for what they did and the hospital has been very good.”
The relative added that Daniella's daughter had stayed in Croatia with her and had been dealing with medical staff and the insurance company. They said that the family had little idea of Daniella's prognosis until she underwent further tests back in the UK.
Daniella's LinkedIn page states that she has worked at Manchester Royal Infirmary and transport company Bombardier prior to establishing her own physiotherapist practice in 2008. Last week one of the doctor's involved with Daniella's treatment revealed that they believed the lightning had hit a necklace she was wearing.
On average between 30 and 60 people are hit by lightning in the UK each year, with around five to 10 per cent of those proving fatal.
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