Golfers struck by lightning in Neepawa
- Details
- Published on Monday, June 4, 2018
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
A Neepawa man was hospitalized on Thursday, May 24 after being hit by lightning during a round of golf. The victim, who was part of a foursome of golfers, was struck by the weather phenomenon in the early evening while on the 11th hole of the Neepawa Golf and Country Club.
Out of respect for the individuals involved and their families, the Neepawa Banner & Press will not be publishing their names, though the details of the incident are as follows.
Verified reports to the Banner & Press indicate that the group was in the process of ending their round early and leaving the course at the time of the accident. One person was standing beside a golf cart, while a second was near the edge of the green. The remaining pair were close to the hole when the lightning struck.
One of the individuals who was there described the scene to the Banner & Press. He noted that there was a “giant flash of light” and a loud booming sound, similar to “standing next to a cannon as it went off.”. The three individuals on or near the green dropped to the ground due to the impact. While two of those gentlemen were shaken up, they remained conscious, while the third was unconscious and unresponsive. From there, the group began performing CPR and contacted emergency personnel on the situation. The fourth individual was revived and early reports indicated that he was rushed to the ICU in Winnipeg.
After the accident became public knowledge, early unconfirmed reports going around the community on the seriousness of the injuries varied greatly. The most recent details, however, suggested that the man has been moved out of the ICU and is dealing with burns primarily to his back and side. Initial MRI’s searching for internal injuries was thought to be optimistic, though the official results are not being released to the public. Pictures posted on social media websites have shown the victim’s hat and shoe had serious burn marks to them.
An incident of this type is not as rare as some people believe, as in an average year, ten Canadians die from a lightning strike, while somewhere between 92 and 164 are injured each year.
