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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,874 posts)
Mon Jun 3, 2019, 01:11 PM Jun 2019

Ten years after tragic 'bolt from the blue,' two simple rules that could save your life

Capital Weather Gang Perspective
Jonathan’s story: Ten years after tragic ‘bolt from the blue,’ two simple rules that could save your life



When thunder roars, go indoors! (Brittany Mayes)

By Dan Stillman, Contributing reporter
June 3 at 7:00 AM

Ten years ago, about 60 miles south of Washington, the early-evening skies over Lee Hill Park in Fredericksburg, Va., were sunny and blue when the lives of two children and their families were suddenly, and shockingly, changed forever.

The umpire for a Little League game at the Lee Hill baseball field had suspended play just a few minutes earlier because of lightning in the distance. But with a nonthreatening sky directly overhead, 11-year-old Jonathan Colson and his 12-year-old teammate, Chelal Matos, stayed on the field to play catch.

About 6:25 p.m., the two were struck down by a bolt of lightning that, by all accounts, seemed to come out of nowhere with a bright flash and a loud “boom.” ... Jonathan laid on the ground without a pulse and unable to breathe, despite CPR being administered by an emergency-room nurse who happened to be on scene. Jonathan’s pulse did return in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and he survived. His friend did not.
....

The tragic story of Jonathan and Chelal is a stark reminder of how dangerous lightning can be. It is a reminder that lightning is not only a threat underneath dark skies and pouring rain, but that it can travel horizontally 10 miles or more through clear skies before striking the ground. ... These “bolts from the blue” are precisely why we say:

When thunder roars, go indoors!

If you are close enough to a storm to hear thunder, then you are close enough to be hit by lightning. ... Likewise, we strongly recommend to:

Wait at least 30 minutes after hearing the last thunder before going back outside.

There is no safe place to be outside during a thunderstorm. The safest place to be is indoors or inside a car (but don’t lean on the car doors).
....

Lightning deaths have declined in our region, as well. Longtime Washingtonians may remember the tragic story from the spring of 1991, when 15-year-old Noah Eig was killed and 10 people were injured by lightning at St. Albans School in Northwest Washington, shortly after a lacrosse game between St. Albans and Landon School had been suspended because of heavy rain. In another incident, several people were injured by lightning in the summer of 1998 during a concert at RFK Stadium.
....

You can follow Jonathan’s story at https://www.facebook.com/thejonathancolsonstory/

Dan Stillman is a meteorologist and editor for the Capital Weather Gang. He earned an M.S. in Meteorology from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences from the University of Michigan. Follow https://twitter.com/stillmand

I know: it should be "Jonathan lay on the ground," but:

We advise against adding (sic) to indicate incorrect spelling or grammar used by someone being quoted. Many readers have no idea what (sic) means. #APStyleChat (1/3)


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