On Monday, while Matthew Boggs, 34, and his son Grayson, 6, were going down the driveway of their Texas house, they were struck by lightning.
What happened to Matthew Boggs and his son Grayson?
After being struck by lightning while holding hands and just seconds after telling his son he loved him, a Texas father died and his son was left critically injured and at risk of brain damage.
On Monday night, while Matthew Boggs, 34, and his six-year-old son Grayson were strolling down their driveway in Valley Mills, Texas, a lightning bolt struck them and killed them.
According to family relatives, while they were present, Boggs’ son and the lightning were both struck. Grayson is currently on a ventilator and having convulsions, and doctors are battling to preserve him.
Matthew’s Family needs a miracle
His family now hopes he pulls through. Elijah Boggs, 11, was just feet away from his father and little brother when they were struck as they were walked home from the school bus stop.
“I was really scared. I rolled Grayson over and he was kind of smiling a little bit. I thought they were just joking, but when I rolled my dad over the middle of his head was bleeding and his face was already purple,” said Boggs.
After multiple CPR attempts, Grayson was rushed to the hospital. Matthew Boggs’ mother, Angela Boggs, is shaken now that her only son is gone.
“I always took care of him because he was the one that God gave to me. Now my responsibility is to take care of my grandbabies,” said Angela Boggs.
‘I love you, buddy
Seeing his son’s school bus pulling up the street after school was a highlight for Matthew Boggs. It was a daily routine for him as he would sometimes go to the bus stop 20 minutes early and wait for his two kids to come home.
“He would just sit there and wait on his kids,” Matthew’s mother, Angel, said. “He was a good, loving father. He loved his kids. His kids were everything to him.” It was just after 5 p.m. Monday in the small Central Texas town of about 1,400 people when the bus arrived to drop off Grayson from kindergarten and his 11-year-old brother, Elijah.
As the three walked up their heart-shaped driveway, Elijah went to the left while Matthew and Grayson went to the right. “Matthew was holding Grayson’s hand,” Angel recalled as she watched from her riding lawnmower tending to the family’s acreage. “He just got done telling Grayson, ‘I love you, buddy,’ and that’s when the lightning hit.”
The rush to help
Elijah had already made his way to the porch when thunder could be heard. As he looked out into the driveway, the preteen witnessed his father’s death.
He was the first to rush to their aid. His grandmother, who also saw the two hit the ground, was right behind him. Neighbors soon joined them after running from their field. The force of the strike knocked the shoes off Matthew and Grayson as they landed face down on the pavement. Elijah started to roll his brother over when he noticed a smirk on his face – he thought they were joking.
When family members rolled Matthew over, he was already blue. They immediately started CPR on Grayson while a neighbor started life-saving measures on Matthew.
Less than 48 hours after the strike, Grayson still lies unconscious under doctors’ care on a ventilator and suffers seizures often. His liver, pancreas, and lungs are starting to heal, and he is now responding to pain. However, doctors told family members they are now concerned with how much brain damage he possibly suffered. “We’re holding onto our faith and holding together,” Angel said. “We’ve got a big, strong church family that is with us and never has left us since that’s happened.”
‘It could have taken them both’
Angel can now only hold onto the memories she shared with her son, who had special needs. She vividly remembers when her son and grandsons would pretend they were in the WWE, and their dad’s bed was the ring.
“They would wrestle around on it and play tag team. Oh, that was great,” she cried.
Matthew also loved to toss the football back and forth with his kids. He also enjoyed playing basketball and video games.
Go Fund Me Page Created
A GoFundMe has been established to help family members pay for funeral arrangements to transfer Matthew’s body from Texas back to Indianapolis, where the remainder of his family is located, along with the family’s burial sites.
Yet, until that day arrives for her to bury her only child, she is turning to her faith and holding her loved one close, unsure of what the next day will bring.
“Without Him, it could have taken them both,” Angel cries. “Without Him, we wouldn’t get through this at all without God. He is our Lord and Savior, and he doesn’t give you too much that you could handle. He’s always with us. Always
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