Austin Melton, 14-Year-Old Boy Struck By Lightning: "I Like Sparky" As A Nickname

Last week, 14-year-old Oregon boy Austin Melton was struck by lightning at the edge of a parking lot at his high school.

He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition before being flown to Legacy Emanuel in Portland, where he was treated in the burn unit.

The teen-ager's father, Chuck Melton, told KTVZ-TV in Bend that the lightning struck his son's head. He suffered a broken eardrum and severe burns on his ankle.

On Monday's Today show, however, Austin said he was doing well and no longer feeling much pain. As for his new nickname at school, Austin said he'd prefer "Sparky."

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Comments

[FabulousAt52]

Sorry- that should read:

I guess you people DON'T get out much....

[FabulousAt52]

geeze, what's with all the shock and awe over this kid's (long) hair??

Are all you people born after the 70's, and don't remember the late 80's or the late 90's? Long hair - especially on young kids under 20 or so- comes back into style about every 10 years. Don't any of you watch TV? Surfer kids in CA almost always have long hair, no matter which generation they are born to....
Skater kids too. I guess you people get out much...

[weilim]

When I saw the photo I thought it was the chick from Juno.

[research]

perhaps you were hoping....­.

[PCMinistry]

He looks like a girl I dated in high school. Her name was Rachel.

[MalloMel]

Do you find him hot, the same, hopefully, that you found Rachael?

[PCMinistry]

I'm straight, so knowing he is a boy has an automatic dampening effect and any sexual desire is squashed. But he is definitely as pretty as she was.

[nicoleanne]

He's growing his hair out to donate to locks of love. he's been working on it for years now. so honestly, if you find something wrong with that, you can shove it. cause i find it extremly sexy and generous. he's a close friend of mine, like a best friend, and he's never done anything wrong to anyone.!

[PCMinistry]

Did I say that it was bad or that he was bad or anything like that? NO. I just made a true statement. HE DOES look like her. Sorry. It's not what I wanted, to see a boy that reminds me of my high school sweetheart. But it is what it is I guess.

[poster1122]

Putting aside that the kid apparently is growing his hair long for Locks of Love to help cancer victims, there's a certain irony to those folks here making the kid's appearance for not being manly enough. Because it takes a real man to make fun of a 14-year-old's looks behind a curtain of anonymity, no?

[poster1122]

er, "making *fun* of the kid's appearance".

I really do need to learn to make use of the preview feature that they have here.

[tiltal]

Second every word.

[marc1antony]

Amen to your comment!

[Anandas]

I knew a boy (16) who was struck by lightening- he came out of it with extremely strong
clairevoyant , claire audient and generally strong "psychic " powers, which are really
just high sensory perception , which we all can develop... for him the electrical charges
accelerated these abilities. Then too there is the story of author Dannion Brinkley , spiritual
healer, who was played (quite well, actually) in a movie by Julia Roberts brother .

[MalloMel]

I wish I had some of those physic powers. I'd use them on the lottery, just for starters. Now tell me how that would not work for that, for some reason or another. Let's hear it.

[bobbyperu]

I'll believe in psychic powers when I open up a newspaper and read the headline "PSYCHIC WINS THE STATE LOTERY". Or 'PSYCHIC CORRECTLY PICKS THE SANTA ANITA PICK 9 FIVE DAYS IN A ROW".

[skippypicasso]

What's amazing is the sheer number of humorless posters who go all apesh!t when they're being tweaked.

[MalloMel]

I agree. Especially the Conservati­ve/Republi­can Right Wing Christian Evangelicals.

[LafnBacstage]

What's not stated is the potential for internal burns. One of the dangers for electrocution is that it burns all the way through. This kid's internal organs and muscles probably got seared as well. He's young and strong so complete healing is likely.

Hey Kid, Don't test the odds by getting struck by lightening again! Glad you are still with us.

[MalloMel]

I read somewhere.­.. sorry I don't recall where, that when a person is struck by lightning and survives, that they are never the same. It does something to their nervous system. Anyway, I wish him the best of luck.

[adsandiego]

lol @ the ppl dissing his hair etc.
this fellow probably gets more girls than all of you combined.

[festry548]

If he hasn't yet, he will now.

[MalloMel]

There you go :)

[plooger]

Yes, let's hope so. At 14.

[MacManLB]

The good thing is that baldness is on the mother's side not his father's side.

[plaidsportcoat]

It MAY be a 'miracle' but that doesn't mean i have to believe in god. miracles come from something besides 'god' for sure.

[MalloMel]

Without God, there are no miracles, just coincidences :)

;0

[MalloMel]

;0 :)

[plooger]

Hardly a miracle. Sounds like he just had a close call. When he can generate lightning, give me a call.

Glad he survived, but hope there aren't hidden injuries yet to be found.

p.s. Matt Lauer can suk it!

[drjasonmd]

Miracle only means statistically very unlikely, not impossible.

[research]

Wow, we are all the way back to "long hair equals feminine" , so Jesus, Vikings, hippies etc... all feminine and homosexual. This is infantile, sexually insecure adolescent projection.

[Rendon76]

This guy is probably has the chics fawning all over him. The people who poke at him are either jealous or were never allowed to do what they wanted with their hair. Oh and they sound like they come from the 50's or something.

[plaidsportcoat]

Yes, this article apparently should REALLY be in the "style" section!

[jrlpdx]

It has been reported in our Portland local news that Austin has been growing his hair long for two years so he can cut it and donate it to Locks of Love in order to help disadvantaged children that suffer from a variety illnesses that may result in hair loss. Austin was glad to find out that the doctors did not need to cut his hair when they were treating him for the lightning strike in order that he can fulfill his desire to make a selfless donation.
I hope those who have made comments about his long hair stop and think about that for a moment.

[festry548]

Those who have criticized Austin's long hair should remember the idiom: "You can't judge a book by its cover."

I must admit I was a bit startled by his long hair at first. I figured he was just a kid with a unique style. Now that I know WHY he's growing his hair long, I have so much respect for him.

It is uncommon to survive a lightning strike. Austin is one lucky child, and I wish him well in his recovery.

[MrAverage]

As was mentioned below, the boy is growing his hair to donate to Locks of Love, an organization that makes hairpieces for cancer victims: www.locksoflove.org. Please know the facts before you judge someone.

[Abd-ul-Latif]

I'd like the HuffPost atheists to explain THIS one.

I just know you can, if you try hard enough. Your faith in the non-existence of God is just so strong.

[GDUS]

Man!
Go get a life somewhere else.

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

HA! you can't be serious. if god saved him, why did god strike him with lightning in the first place?

[d00derman]

God hates lightning rods then.

[Knowledgeseeker]

religious people never uses common sense.