STORM2K

Lightning Injures 40 Texas Football Players, Coaches

POSTED: 1:52 am EDT September 15, 2004
UPDATED: 11:19 am EDT September 15, 2004

GRAPELAND, Texas -- About 40 players and coaches with the Grapeland High School football team in East Texas were hurt when the lightning struck as they finished up practice Tuesday evening.

Twenty high school football players have been hospitalized from injuries. Another 20 players and coaches from Grapeland High School also were hurt.

Superintendent Buddy Sumrall told The Associated Press that one of the players was in guarded condition after being taken to a burn center in Galveston. Nineteen others were spending the night in hospitals under observation.

Sumrall described the incident as "a freak thing." He said it started raining as the players were running sprints and the team was preparing to head for their locker room when the lightning struck. He said no previous lightning had been seen.

Police Chief Roger Dickey said there were thunderstorms in nearby towns, but that they hadn't yet reached Grapeland when the strike occurred. He said coaches and players had no warning.

The force of the electrical charge was powerful enough to knock players down -- or backward several feet.

Jes wizzzzzz!

I know several teams around my area were still practicing even though we were in a Severe Thunderstorm watch and we could easily hear thunder.

Live in the lightning capital here. My son's coaches will try and wait it out. Drives me crazy I am terrified of lightning and always fun for the car when I see the first flash. Its beautiful to watch but very scary. I hope all of our football coaches here saw this latest event it seems to be happening more often over the past few years. People get hit here alot. They just won't take cover.

I'm from MA, and I recall a storm that rolled in during a baseball practice on a cloudy day. I don't know if it was the rain, thunder or lightning that broke up the practice, but we took cover outside of a nearby school. Must have been waiting it out about 5 minutes when as I was looking out towards the field, this amazing red flash comes out of nowhere with this unreal blasting sound. Looked back to see sheared bark floating down the side of a tall tree about 300 ft from us. That was intense, man. Saw first hand why you don't stand under trees for cover.

I played a lot of summer baseball in addition to spring ball, so I saw my share of intense storms around practices and games over the years. I believe the first sign of lightning nearby would usually break up games. I remember we had either a game or practice during a Tornado watch once -- whatever it was, we were going to play until it was broken up by heavy rain (luckily no tornado). A few of us were aware of the watch, but in MA even if one is issued you don't really get too concerned about a tornado rolling through. I remember before the rain started coming down in buckets, I didn't want to leave and said, "We haven't had a tornado around here in 20 years." One of my friends responded, "That's probably what they said 20 years ago." True...