UH foreign exchange student suffers brain damage after being struck by lightning, family tells ABC13

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The chances of getting struck by lightning per year are one in nearly 1.2 million, according to the National Weather Service. Despite those odds, Susroonya Kodura has been in the hospital fighting for her life, after officials say lightning either struck her directly or a nearby tree.

According to family members, Kodura was enjoying the long holiday weekend with friends on July 2, walking along the pond at the San Jacinto Monument Park when lightning hit.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, they responded to a call that a woman was possibly struck by lightning and somehow was thrown into the pond, where a bystander jumped in to help her.

Kodura is a foreign exchange student studying information technology at the University of Houston, according to her family. She came to the United States to pursue her dreams. Her cousin, Surendra Kumar Kotha, is her only family in the area and has been with her in the hospital. He says his cousin has been on a ventilator and has been unable to breathe on her own.

"Right now, she's not doing good," Kotha said. "She requires prolonged and aggressive medical care for her recovery as a normal girl and to achieve her dreams."

According to her cousin, when she got hit by lightning and thrown into the pond, she went into cardiac arrest and is now suffering brain damage.

ABC13's Mega Doppler 13 radar captured heavy lightning activity in the area during that time.

According to the National Weather Service, in the last 30 years, there have been an average of 43 lightning deaths per year. Only 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disabilities.

In 2023, there have been six fatalities due to lightning, and two of those incidents happened in Valley Mill, Texas. According to the National Weather Service, two people were walking home from a bus stop and in a driveway when the lightning struck.

Koduru's family is now trying to get her parents, who are in India, to Houston so they can be by their daughter's side.

"Her parents are lower middle class, and we are working on their visas to get them to the U.S.," Kotha said. "They should have the privilege to her, and if she feels their presence, her brain may react well. That's why we thought of bringing them."

The family has created a GoFundMe to help with medical costs and reunite her with her family.

"I am requesting everyone include her in your prayers for her speedy recovery," Kotha said. "The family needs help airlifting her to India where they want her to get care and is going to need long-term care."

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