Lightning strike kills NE student, unborn child

By Ashley Bradley/ne news editor

Taylor Lawson
Taylor Lawson

NE Campus student Taylor Lawson died at Parkland Memorial Hospital Aug. 30 after she was struck by lightning three days earlier.

Lawson, 19, who was four months pregnant, had been on life support for two days. Lawson was exiting her car in the 1000 block of Stableway Lane in Bedford to have dinner with friends when a lightning bolt lit up the street around 8 p.m. Aug. 27, according to the Star-Telegram.

After she was struck, neighbors ran outside to give Lawson mouth-to-mouth and CPR. She was first sent to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Hurst so doctors could get her heart beating again. She was transferred later to Parkland in Dallas.

WFAA reported that doctors couldn’t save her unborn child upon arrival.

According to KXAS, because Lawson was a registered organ donor, her family kept her on life support as long as possible. She was reported brain dead Sunday, and doctors determined her internal organs were too badly damaged to donate.

Other organs such as her skin were being donated to science, reported the Star-Telegram

Lawson was enrolled on NE Campus, taking 12 hours this semester, said Cacy Barnard, public information coordinator.

Last fall, Lawson sat in her business speech class and left an impression on her teacher.

“I do remember her because she was a very warm individual with a good sense of humor,” said her business speech instructor Nancy DeHaven. “She worked very well with her classmates, and she was always an active part of the group, a strong contributor.”

Her family said that she had planned to one day become a teacher, reported the Star-Telegram.

“She seemed to have a creative nature,” said Rebecca Briley, Lawson’s art appreciation teacher in the fall of 2008. “She seemed to be really helpful to all of the other students in her group. She was a really considerate person.

“Taylor has been on my mind all day.”

The Taylor A. Lawson Fund has been set up at Bank of America to help pay for medical and funeral expenses. Contact a local branch to make a donation.

Anyone interested in becoming an organ donor should visit DonateLifeTexas.org.