Man struck by lightning while golfing in West Linn

WEST LINN Ore. (KPTV) - A man was struck by lightning on a West Linn golf course on Saturday afternoon, according to the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

Around 3 p.m., crews were sent to the Oregon Golf Club pro shop on Pete’s Mountain Road after the report of someone suffering from burns, according to TVF&R Captain Ryan Stenhouse.

Stenhouse, who was part of the crew sent to the call, said club staff had brought the man in, out of the rain, after he called the pro shop for help.

According to TVF&R, the man had been out on the golf course by himself when the storm rolled in.

Stenhouse said he remembered watching the storm come in fast at the fire station around 2:45 p.m.

“[The golfer] had a reflection of a flash and a boom,” Stenhouse said. “Went unconscious at some point.”

When the golfer came to, he called the pro shop for help.

Stenhouse said the man’s injuries were also consistent with a lightning strike.

When fire crews arrived at the pro shop, “he was conscious and alert. Able to speak with us,” Stenhouse said. “Certainly, as you can imagine, just visibly shaken, like what anybody would have been.”

The man was taken by ambulance to a Portland burn center where he is expected to recover.

Stenhouse said he’s served with fire crews for years, and while he’s seen thunderstorms blow through the Portland area every year, he’s never had a call like this.

“I gotta be honest, this is the first time I’ve been on a lightning strike. So it’s new to all of us - pretty uncommon,” Stenhouse said. “To have an individual struck and to be in the condition that he was in, you know, is remarkable.”

Stenhouse emphasized that anytime people notice a storm blowing in - whether they’re on a golf course or out for a swim - to seek shelter right away.

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