Rubber-soled boots may have saved woman’s life during White House lightning strike, her mom says

Boots are made for walking, but for Amber Escudero-Kontostathis, her Dr. Martens boots had a second, more important purpose — saving her life.

Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis, 28, a D.C. resident, was the sole survivor of the lightning strike Thursday near the White House that took the lives of three others.

Doctors told Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis’ mother, Julie Escudero, that the lightning traveled through her daughter’s toes and out of her left arm.

Ms. Escudero, of Newbury Park, California, credits the rubber soles of the Dr. Martens boots for dampening the lightning’s power, according to the Ventura County Star.

Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis was initially revived on-site by a defibrillator; since the strike was so close to the White House, the Secret Service was already on-site to render aid.

“The Secret Service men saved her. I’ve been trying to find out their names so I can personally thank them. They revived her,” Ms. Escudero told the Ventura County Star.

Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis was in Washington, D.C., with a nonprofit called Threshold Giving, which works with refugees. When she was caught in a thunderstorm, she sought shelter under a nearby grove of trees.

Trees, however, are excellent conductors of lightning, thanks to their height and the moisture and sap within them. The trees distributed the electricity to all four victims of the strike with a ground current, which is why the voltage moved through Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis’ boot.

Ms. Escudero-Kontostathis did sustain burns on her left side, where she was carrying her personal electronic devices. She was too weak to walk at first after the strike, but has come off of the respirator and has been moved out of the intensive care unit.

“The trauma doctor came up yesterday and said she’s an ‘absolute miracle,’” said Ms. Escudero to the Ventura County Star.