ARABI, La. (AP) — A young woman with muscular dystrophy who was injured when an EF-3 tornado tossed her family’s home in Louisiana into the street has died, marking the second death linked to last month’s severe weather.
Her family told news outlets that 22-year-old Maria Celeste Burke died at a hospital on Thursday.
Burke and her parents were inside their home on March 22 in Arabi when it was lifted from its foundation and carried into the street, some 20 to 30 feet away. The tornado tossed Burke onto the floor, trapping her under furniture. She was helped out of her bedroom window by emergency responders.
Burke, who also used a wheelchair, has been dealing with muscular dystrophy since she was 5. Her family said she was nearly ready to be released from the hospital, but developed a blood clot that sent her into cardiac arrest.
Her death is the second linked to the tornado that devastated Arabi. The tornado also killed Connor Lambert, 25.
