Family Watched As Lightning Struck Boy

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. - At the age of 12, Chelal Gross-Matos was just a beginner at baseball, but his father Robert says he was already becoming a star.

Chelal was playing a last-minute game of catch when lightning struck at a Spotsylvania County, Virginia baseball field. His family says he loved the game, and his father, Robert Matos, was the head coach of his team.

Matos told FOX 5 that the umpire ordered everyone off the field at Lee Hill Park in Fredericksburg around 6:30 p.m. during Wednesday night's severe storms.

Matos and his wife tried to coax Chelal into the car while he was playing catch with one of his friends. His parents say that's when a lightning bolt struck their son, and appeared to jump to his 11-year-old friend.

Chelal didn't make survive the strike, and he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The 11-year-old boy is at a Richmond hospital in critical condition.

Chelal attended Chancellor Middle School in Fredericksburg. Principal Melvin Brown says he was adored by his teachers, and he was both a good student and a good friend to many. Grief counselors were on hand at the school Thursday to help students cope with the loss of their friend.

Funeral services for Chelal Gross-Matos are planned for Monday at Salem Fields Community Church in Fredericksburg.

• TO READ OUR ORIGINAL STORY ON THIS INCIDENT, FOLLOW THIS LINK
• FOR TIPS ON LIGHTNING SAFETY FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, CLICK HERE