Ok, no link to the original article, since I must have read it in at least 8 places today. But I can only offer sympathy to the family of Kevin Avalar, who was struck and killed by lightning yesterday while riding his bike.
Out of the 62 people that get killed by lightning each year in the US, it really sucks that a 15 year old boy was the latest victim. At that age, you still have some innocence about you, and nothing but the future ahead of you. All cut tragically short by Mother Nature.
As a parent to 4 teenagers, I hope that as we all take our next ride, we’ll take a moment to be thankful for the opportunity, and if we’re so inclined, offer a prayer for Kevin’s family.
That’s awful, especially for his family and friends.
The scariest ride I’ve ever been on was a ten or fifteen minute commute, with most of it being across a park and college campus (where I was employed). I road that commute every day and had various, normal scares and accidents, as is common with anyone that rides much. The scary ride day started out normally, it was early and a little overcast so I grabbed my rain jacket just in case. Less than a mile from my house I road into a sheet of rain, which didn’t worry me much. Another half mile and the thunder, lightning, and wind started suddenly. At the halfway point the thunder and lightning were coming with no time interval. Every hair on my body stood up each time. The part of campus I was in was mostly trees and grass and light posts. All I could do was ride as fast as I could. By the time I got to the lab I was literally shaking from the adrenaline dump I got.
I was much luckier than Kevin Avalar, but I felt the power and felt real fear. I think the older me would have turned back and tried to outrace the storm I had ridden into.
It would be a good idea for any riders that spend much time riding in the open to read up on safety measures for lightning.
God bless the Avalar family.