Referee hurt as lightning hits football field in Negros Occidental

A referee lost consciousness after lightning hit a football field in Bago City, Negros Occidental.

As seen on Kuya Kim’s “24 Oras” report Tuesday, a match was ongoing when an Acacia tree suddenly lit with fire due to lightning. Charlie Panes experienced a light strike injury called side slash.

Kuya Kim said a side splash happens when a person gets hit with waves of electricity because lightning hits something nearby. This is even when an individual didn’t touch an object.

“May posibilidad na yung kidlat, nag-bounce sa football field kung sa’n ang isang referee natin ay nagkaro’n ng muscle cramps at difficulty in breathing,” police investigator PMSG Erwin Jamandre said.

Panes said he lost consciousness all of a sudden and felt intense heat all over his body. He is now in a stable condition and is recovering.

Damages that may be caused by lightning to the body are mild burns to brain damage, which may be the cause of death.

Meanwhile, Kuya Kim said being hit by lighting is dangerous even when an individual comes in contact with it for .1 or .01 seconds as it has 10 million volts. Its heat is also five times that of the sun’s.

The other two lightning strike injuries are direct strike and contact voltage or conduction, which is when an individual gets electrocuted after touching an object hit by lightning.

If there’s lightning, Kuya Kim said people should go to a dry and covered area. If not, chief training and response officer Captain Joebert Tolentino Jr. said there is a position that may help prevent danger.

“Upo ka then yung heels ng paa, ipagdikit mo para ‘pag nagkaro’n ng ground current, yung kuryente, do’n lang dadaan sa dalawang paa mo. Hindi siya aakyat sa katawan mo,” he said.—Franchesca Viernes/LDF, GMA News