very sad

he was the guy that was struck by lightning last Friday morning, July 20, while walking with his mother on the sand at Treasure Island Municipal Beach, at around 10:30am.
He was hospitalized since then, but succummbed to his injuries on Tue Jul 24

here is his obituary which persoanilzes this story a bit more , and less deflects away from him being just a statistic.....
SANTILLI, Samuel A., 16, of Tampa, passed away July 24, 2007. He is survived by his mother, Maureen Machajewski; stepfather, Mark of Benbrook, Texas; his father, Anthony "Sam" Santilli (Jennifer), with whom he resided; sister, Jaclynn Santilli, College Station, Texas; grandmother, Gladys Daley, Milwaukee, Wis.; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Sam was a student at Hillsborough High School, class of 2009, where he was member in the HHS "Big Red" Marching Band and played on the varsity soccer team. He was a member of the HC United Killer Rabbits soccer team and employed at Regal Citrus Park 20 at Citrus Park Town Center Mall. Sam was a gift from God; he was pure of heart and our sunshine on a rainy day. He gave his love and help to everyone and had many friends. Many lives have been touched by his love. Sam loved soccer. He played with passion for the game and his teammates. He had just received his driver' s license and was looking forward to driving his new truck to HHS his junior year. Sam' s family would like to thank the staff members of All Children' s Hospital of St. Petersburg for their compassionate special care. He will be sadly missed by all who have been touched by his love. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to All Children' s Hospital, 801 Sixth St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701. The family will receive friends 6-9 p.m. Friday July 27 and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday July 28 at the funeral home located at 4730 N. Armenia Ave. Funeral services will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday July 28 , also at the funeral home.