BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A 14-year-old boy from Boynton Beach reunited with the first responders who saved his life after he was struck by lightning nearly two months ago.
Kevin Peluffo was playing soccer with his friends at a mobile home park on Aug. 23 when he was struck, stopping his heart.
“I put my kicks in, then I turned around, and I just hear, ‘Boom!'” said his friend. “Then I just see my friend fall to the ground, and then I didn’t know what to do.”
Peluffo’s mom, Sandra, said there’s still a long road ahead.
“First, we will have to see Dr. Quiñones,” Sandra said in Spanish.
Peluffo has gone through therapy, rehabilitation and more recovery as he continues to heal.
As the family looks forward, there is plenty to now celebrate.
In a new video shared by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the deputy who saved Peluffo’s life got the chance to see him again and recount the day it happened.
“I saw him in the soccer field laying on the floor while a bystander was doing CPR at that time. I ran to him. He had no pulse when I got there. He was blue, and I immediately started chest compressions,” said PBSO Deputy Claudia Abreu-Perez.
Paramedics eventually took over and rushed him to the hospital.
For weeks, Peluffo’s family said they waited, prayed and hoped for the best.
“We’re here today to see him. It’s his first day back from the hospital. We’re going to give him some soccer equipment that we got as a squad for him,” said Abreu-Perez.
The support continued with the paramedics who treated Peluffo, returning to check on him and greeting his mother with hugs and a hot meal.
“I just want to come say hi,” a paramedic said.
They all celebrated a recovery many once feared may have never happened.
Peluffo has since returned home from the hospital and is looking to get back into a regular routine that, he hopes, includes school and soccer.
