The term “lucky to be alive” may be an overused phrase, but in this case, it’s appropriate after an Edmonton woman survived being struck by lighting.
It happened Thursday night in west Edmonton, as thunderstorms rolled through the region in the afternoon.
Global News is not naming the 21-year-old woman because she is sedated in hospital, unable to give her consent.
But her friend, Laura Penner, saw the strike happen in the west end Callingwood area. They had just parted ways and her friend was heading to a bus stop across the street around 4:10 p.m.
“The storm, the rain just started happening as she walked out and so as soon as she got across she was struck by the lightning,” Penner said.
Penner was watching through her living room window and saw light surround her friend, who then fell to the ground.
“It was within a span of about 10 seconds of her walking outside of the house.
“Very quick.”
Penner and her partner were getting ready to leave the house themselves, and sprang into action.
“I got my partners to go over there help out with CPR while I called EMS,” Penner said.
A bus pulled up to the stop and those who got off also jumped into provide aid. Marty Heemeryck was one of those bus passengers.
“There was a young lady laying on the ground, her legs were black and yellow, she was flopping around, in and out, trying to breathe,” Heemeryck said. “It was a scary moment for everybody.”
Heemeryck said he didn’t know what was happening at first.
“I first saw was somebody passed out on the ground and given the circumstances of the area, I said, is Narcan needed?” she said, adding friends quickly assured him it wasn’t an overdose, but a freak accident.
“I was concerned and saying prayers for her,” Heemeryck said. “Everybody was great. I mean, they were concerned to help her, really, whether it was drugs or lightning.
“Way to go Edmonton.”
EMS arrived shortly after that and took the unconscious woman into the ambulance.
The 21-year-old is now in a medically induced coma at the University of Alberta hospital, her friends said, recovering from burns sustained during the lightning strike.
Each year on average in Canada, there are between two and three lightning-related deaths and 180 lightning-related injuries, according to Statistics Canada.
People camping and hiking account for the largest percentage of those killed by lightning (22 per cent), with outdoor workers accounting for another 22 per cent fatalities.
StatsCan said in the case of most fatalities and injuries, people were in open areas or taking shelter under a tree.
