Rubber on baseball bat saves teacher from lightning strike

ERJ staff report (BC)

Ottawa, Canada – An Ontario school teacher said he survived being struck by lightning during a baseball practice, reports Jonathan Zettel of Canadian TV News.

Rodney Benton, a teacher at Seaway District School in Iroquois, Ontario, about 100km south of Ottawa, considers himself lucky to be alive. Benton said he believes he survived because he was holding onto the rubber grip of an aluminium baseball bat when it was struck by lightning during a school team practice.

“I saw like a peachy-orange light and fell backward on the ground. It felt like my head was going to explode and my hair was being pulled … up to the sky,” Benton told CTV Ottawa.

Benton was treated for minor injuries at Winchester District Memorial Hospital and sent home to rest. He was still in pain on 16 May. “Every step hurts. Every movement hurts. It’s hard to raise my arms,” he said. He plans to be back to work on 21 May.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Full story from Canadian TV News