EXCLUSIVE – PICTURED: British physiotherapist struck by lightning in front of daughter on Croatian beach – who is being airlifted back to UK while still in a coma
- Daniella DiMambro, 48, was struck by a bolt of lightning on a Croatian beach
- She was holidaying with daughter, 19, in popular destination Split ten days ago
- Quick thinking paramedics saved her after her heart had stopped for 30 minutes
- Daniella remains in a coma but is well enough to be airlifted back to Britain
A British holiday maker who was struck by a bolt of lightning on a Croatian beach can be revealed as a physiotherapist from Nottingham who was holidaying with her daughter and is now being airlifted back to the UK for treatment.
Mum of two Daniella DiMambro, 48, was dramatically ‘brought back to life’ by quick thinking paramedics after her heart stopped when she was hit by the 300 million volt strike. She remains in a coma.
She and her 19-year-old daughter were among dozens of holidaymakers who fled the beach as a powerful thunderstorm swept across the beach at Kasjuni on the outskirts of the popular holiday resort of Split ten days ago.
Initially doctors at the city’s KBC hospital put her on a ventilator and sedated her as they treated her for burns, as well as head and internal injuries following the million-to-one strike.
But now she has finally been deemed well enough to make the journey back from Croatia on a special medical flight and is due to land at East Midlands airport and be taken to a specialist hospital in the area.
Daniella DiMambro, 48, was struck by a bolt of lightning on a Croatian beach while holidaying with her 19-year-old daughter in Split ten days ago
Daniella is a physiotherapist from Nottingham. She was dramatically ‘brought back to life’ by quick thinking paramedics after her heart stopped when she was hit by the 300 million volt strike
Initially doctors at the city’s KBC hospital put her on a ventilator and sedated her as they treated her for burns, as well as head and internal injuries following the million-to-one strike
A relative said: ’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.
‘As soon as she is back in England she will be taken straight to hospital where she will be undergoing tests and then we will get some idea of the situation.
‘All we can do is hope and pray things are ok and the internal injuries are not extensive.’
Daniella, a qualified physiotherapist who practices in Nottingham, had gone to Croatia with her daughter and young son and were staying in a holiday apartment in Split when the incident happened on August 20.
The mother and her daughter were sunbathing at a popular beach on the outskirts of the holiday resort of Split on Saturday afternoon when they had to run for their lives as a massive thunderstorm swept in from the sea (file image of Split, Croatia)
The relative added: ’She was on the beach with her daughter while her son was in the apartment. The weather turned and she was hit by lightning as she walked off the beach.
‘Her heart stopped and her life was saved by the paramedics who were attending another incident closeby and a passing doctor. Her son came back but her daughter stayed out there to be with her mother.
‘Her daughter had to deal with insurance companies, the hospital and the police all in a language she doesn’t speak and it was very hard for her.
‘She spent all the time by her mother’s bedside in intensive care . She was badly burned and was covered in tubes. It is simply awful.
Daniella will fly on a medical flight to East Midlands airport and be taken to a specialist hospital in the area
‘We just don’t know what the outcome will be. She may come round or she may need long-term help and never work again.’
According to her Linkedin page, Daniella has worked at Manchester Royal Infirmary and at transport firm Bombardier, as a physiotherapist and set up her own practice in 2008 which she runs in Nottingham.
Last week Professor Sanda Stojanovic Stipic, who was involved in treating Daniella, revealed how doctors believed the lightning bolt had struck a necklace she was wearing.
She also praised the ‘good work’ of the paramedics and doctors who treated Daniella at the beach and ‘brought her back to life’.
About 240,000 lightning incidents happen each year with around 2,000 people being killed worldwide.
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