Vigil Continues for 5 year old struck by lightning in Toronto

Earlier Friday, the three-year-old’s condition was updated, from serious to good.

But Kyus remains in critical condition. Thursday night, his father Oral Caines said the boy was in critical condition and was drifting in and out of consciousness.

“It’s very frightening,” Mr. Caines said. “I wish it happened to me instead of him.”

He said that Kyus has tried to speak. Doctors have been running numerous tests and the family is still awaiting results. The father said his other son, four-year-old Jacob, has been prevented by hospital staff from seeing injured Kyus.

“They’re not telling me much,” he said.

Throughout Thursday, Mr. Caines was surrounded by family members, including numerous aunts and uncles as well as the babysitter who was with the unnamed youngest victim when he was struck.

Mr. Caines said that his son loves dinosaurs, playing cards and riding on his bike and scooter.

“He wanted to play hockey like his dad,” said his aunt, Candace Costa of Barrie, her hands trembling as she spoke.

Hospital staff have declined to specifically discuss the boys’ cases, citing privacy laws. But they characterized a lightning injury as a type of enormous shock.

“Basically the entire body gets electrocuted,” said Oscar Karbi, site chief of emergency medicine at Brampton Civic Hospital, one of the doctors who treated the three Brampton victims.

“They suffered a significant injury,” he said.

Dr. Karbi said that even if a person survives a lightning strike, it is likely they will suffer long-term damage. Most injuries involve the heart and central nervous system, including the brain. Victims can suffer from seizures and brain hemorrhaging.

They also frequently lose feeling in their arms and legs and suffer temporary paralysis.

Though it is rare, those who receive a direct current from the ground can also suffer from severe burns, especially if they are wearing or carrying metallic objects, which are superheated by the electrical current.

Lightning strike victims usually face some form of long-term disability.

Many have problems with memory, concentration and learning and find it difficult to return to school or work.

Hearing and vision problems are also common, Dr. Karbi said.