Tampa Bay Lightning honor dad who saved son’s life with CPR after he was struck by lightning
How a father saved his sons life with CPR
Derek Stock describes saving his son Levi's life after he got knocked unconscious by lightning docking their boat, and how he has turned the near-fatal event into community activism on the importance of CPR training.
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa man who made it his mission to spread awareness of the importance of CPR training after saving his son's life two and half years ago when a bolt of lightning struck him, was honored by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning honored Derek Stock as an ‘AdventHealth Goal Getter’ for his work to spread awareness of the importance of CPR training after the almost tragic incident.
Riverview family honored by Tampa Bay Lightning
The Stock family receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at a Tampa Bay Lightning game while Derek received AdventHealth's 'Goal Getter’ honor on Tuesday (Courtesy: Tampa Bay Lightning).
The backstory:
In June 2022, 11-year-old Levi Stock, his parents, and a sibling were enjoying an afternoon on their boat when storm clouds developed above them. Trying to be proactive, the family turned back for shore to avoid getting stuck in the storm.
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Image is courtesy of the Stock family.
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The family says they were about 100 feet from the Williams Park boat ramp in Riverview, when lightning struck Levi Stock, knocking him unconscious and unresponsive.
Levi Stock told FOX 13 News in 2022 that the lightning bolt slashed down "between my pinky toes."
Derek Stock, Levi's father, sprung into action to save his life, immediately giving his son CPR.
Image is courtesy of the Stock family.
"I saw the strike go through him," Derek Stock said. "(I’ll) never forget the moment; it’s the most powerful force I’ve ever felt in my life."
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Image is courtesy of the Stock family.
Derek Stock says the next four minutes unfolded in slow motion.
"I started compressions and CPR immediately; he wasn’t breathing, he wasn’t responding," he said. "My wife dialed 911. In that time, it kind of felt like an eternity going through that, but it was only four minutes before the ambulance showed up."
It wasn’t until 2 a.m. the following day that Levi Stock regained consciousness at the hospital. He has since made a full recovery.
Boy survives lightning strike
Evan Axelbank reports on an 11-year-old boy thanked God and praised the power of prayer after surviving a lightning strike.
He described the feeling of waking up in the hospital after getting struck by lightning to FOX 13's Evan Axelbank in 2022.
"I was just like where am I? They said you're in the hospital. I asked what happened, and they said you got struck by lightning. I was just like I got struck by lightning?," Levi Stock said.
READ: Tampa mother spreading awareness about importance of CPR and AED training after son's life was saved
Spreading awareness
Why you should care:
Derek Stock credits his hands-on CPR training with saving his son's life, saying it was second nature. Since the incident, he has become an advocate for CPR training, arguing that every household should have at least one person trained to administer CPR.
"You can watch a lot of videos online and see how CPR is done, but I’m so thankful it was almost like it was second nature," he said. "I really support the goal of the American Heart Association to have one person in each household trained in CPR. There are things where a perfectly healthy person could need CPR, and you just don’t want to not be equipped."
The Stock family hopes that spreading Levi’s story will help people understand how critical it is to be trained in CPR.
Derek Stock receiving an award from the American Heart Association (Courtesy: Tampa Bay Lightning).
"He (Levi) recognizes the significance and importance of his story and how he can affect other lives," Derek Stock said.
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As part of being the ‘Goal Getter’ honor, the Stock family received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Lightning’s Tuesday night game against the Ottawa Senators. Levi Stock was also surprised with an autographed Andrei Vasilevskiy jersey, his favorite player.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Tampa Bay Lightning and AdventHealth and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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