PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A Pinellas County middle school teacher is seriously injured while vacationing in Peru with his family over Thanksgiving Break.
James Fernandez is a science teacher at Palm Harbor Middle School.
He was with his wife, Alexis, their 5-month-old son, and another couple on vacation.
His wife said it was the trip of a lifetime that turned into a living nightmare.
"I received a call from a hospital, a regional hospital here in Cusco, around 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m. in the evening, it was already dark out. We had a bad feeling. They should have been back by then," said Alex Fernandez.
Alexis said James and his good friend, Yuri Botehlo, went mountain biking with a guide near Cusco, Peru.
The two were cycling downhill when they were struck by lightning. The lightning bolt killed Yuri and seriously injured James.
"They had all the right safety gear on, including elbow pads, knee pads, helmet, everything. He was thrown from his bike about 15 feet because of the impact of the lightning," said Alexis.
James remains hospitalized in Peru. His wife is working to bring him back home to the Tampa area by air ambulance.
"When I’ve interacted with him, he’s able to open his eyes when he hears my voice. It looks like he’s breathing on his own which is fantastic and he’s swallowing which are all really good signs, I don’t know how you how you survive something like this, but he’s alive," said Alexis.
Palm Harbor Middle School shared a GoFundMe page on Facebook. Donations will help support James and his ongoing medical care.
"This was just such a freak accident, but these two guys, as adventurous as they are, they love their families, they love their friends, they’re not risk takers. They were doing everything right. This was just the most unfortunate event," said Alexis.
Bryan Lieberman, a family friend, said James was an avid cyclist and was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Before becoming a teacher, James worked for the international touring company Backroads.
"He was hosting people on multi-day like hundred hundred-mile-plus plus bike tours as a tour guide and so going around the world being in Spanish-speaking countries like Cuba and Spain, and Peru, this is what he did, professionally, before becoming a teacher," said Lieberman.
For more information on how to help James, click here.
A GoFundMe page is also raising money for Yuri's family. His wife, Kelsey, and their 15-month-old were also in Peru with him.
"The first, I don’t know, 48 hours, it was terrifying. We were very alone and I’m so grateful for all the people who are loving us and supporting us. I can’t, there’s no words to describe just how grateful Kelsey and I are," said Alexis.
"I think that’s why this is extra hard because they are two of the happiest, adventurous people you’ll ever meet and they do not deserve this at all."
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