Father of teen struck by lightning meets man who saved his son's life
PHOENIX (KSAZ) -- Divine intervention: that's how the father of the boy struck by lightning earlier this week described the outcome of his son's near-death experience.
13-year-old Josiah Wiedman's heart stopped after the bolt hit him. On Friday, however, the teen is up, talking, and on the road to recovery. His family even got a chance to to meet the man who helped save Josiah's life.
While Josiah is now out of intensive care, he is still being treated at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Josiah's father says the teen has no burns or marks from the lightning strike, and no internal injuries.
As Josiah recovered, his father hugged the man he calls his son's guardian angel, downstairs.
"You're a hero to my son," said William Wiedman. "I was telling him I was coming downstairs to meet you. He still remembers nothing of it. He said that's the guy who saved my life."
"I'm just glad I was there," Cory Cieszynsky replied. "Glad that I got there in time."
Cory lives right next to the park. He served in the army, and was trained in CPR and life-saving skills, which he used on Josiah. He's relieved to know the teen not only survived, but also that he didn't suffer any major injuries.
"No internal injuries whatsoever," said Wiedman. "All his organs are working well. They're checking his heart and lungs."
William said Josiah was holding his skateboard when he was struck, and the electricity transferred to the skakeboard.
GoFundMe for Josiah Wiedman
https://www.gofundme.com/lightening