A freak storm sent lightning crashing down on the field where teenagers were warming up for a soccer match in Ingoldingen, Germany over the weekend.

A total of 26 players were injured in the lightning strike, including 3 who were seriously hurt. One kid, 17-year-old Rolf Baader, actually died on the pitch, but paramedics managed to bring him back to life. He was then rushed to the hospital by helicopter. The players who were most seriously hurt happened to be standing next to a metal fence.

According to a police spokesman, “No-one could have expected what happened, as it had started to drizzle slightly, but there was no storm to be heard or seen in the sky.”

Classy headline by the folks at the Austrian Times, who decided to go with “Lightning Striker” in their report of this story. Was “Flash Forward” deemed to be in poor taste?

Lightning injures 26 at football match [The Local]
Lightning striker [Austrian Times]

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