Teen dies after being struck by lightning

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Cobb County teenager died after being struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon, police said.

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Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com Tuwanda Carter (left) talks to her daughter Dav'yana Carter, 6, as her husband David Carter looks on near the tree where two teenagers were struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon in an apartment complex in Austell. One teenager, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died, Officer Joseph Hernandez told the AJC.

Enlarge photo

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com David and Tuwanda Carter with their 6-year-old daughter Dav'yana sit near the tree where two teenagers were struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon in an apartment complex in Austell. One teenager, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died, Officer Joseph Hernandez told the AJC.

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The 16-year-old girl was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died, Officer Joseph Hernandez told the AJC. Relatives at the scene identified her as Chiquelle Hunter. A 15-year-old girl -- Hunter's cousin, according to WSB-TV -- remained in critical condition Wednesday morning, Hernandez said. The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. when lightning struck a tree in an apartment complex near Austell, Hernandez said.

"Lightning struck a tree and the girls were under the tree when this happened," Hernandez said.

The girls lived in the Windwood Apartments, located on Shenandoah Trail, Hernandez said. The teenagers had apparently been inside an apartment watching television just prior to going outside, he said.

The lightning was powerful enough to split trees in the complex, police said.

The Cobb victim is the second metro Atlanta teenager killed by lightning in two weeks. Eric West, who had recently moved to Henry County, died June 30 when he was struck by lightning in his McDonough neighborhood.

--Staff writer Christian Boone contributed to this report.