7 News
A 25-year-old Melbourne woman has passed away after she was struck by lightning during a storm in Melbourne’s north-east on Friday night.
Lauren Brownlee was rushed to hospital following the tragic ordeal, alongside her boyfriend Ben Hollows, 23.
Mr Hollow was also injured during the ordeal, but with non-life-threatening injuries.
The location is known to be a popular spot to enjoy scenic views.
Brandon Cleine was the man who initially found Ms Brownlee and Mr Hollows as he was driving home during the storm. He spotted the two lying in the middle of the road.
7News spoke to Mr Cleine after the horrific events.
He said, ‘As I got to about here, I noticed there was a guy lying in the middle of the road and a car stopped off and a guy kinda waving his hands down saying ‘Don’t go, don’t go’.’
Mr Cleine then described how he spent the next several minutes performing CPR on Ms Brownlee.
‘I was just hoping that she stayed alive… And I was just screaming at the lady on the phone like ‘Please just get emergency services here as quick as possible. These guys are in desperate need’.’
‘I just wish she would have made it, you know?’ Mr Cleine added, barely holding back tears as he spoke to Channel 7 less than 24 hours after the ordeal.
‘It’s tragic. I can still picture her lying on the ground, I can still see Ben lying on the ground. I can still see her face. I’ll never get that face out of my mind.’
As friends and family raise money for Ms Brownlee’s funeral, Mr Cleine hopes to visit Mr Hollow in his hospital bed in an effort to help both of them heal.
Emergency services responded to an influx of calls between 8pm and 9.30pm on Saturday night, and SES volunteers were called out to help another 32 people who were affected by the thunderstorm.
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
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