A Spanish man had to seek hospital treatment after a lightning strike left him with burned testicles. The unnamed 61-year-old was standing in his garden in Cieza Street in the city of Torrelodones in the Autonomous Community of Madrid when the storm came on, leaving him with a horrifically painful (but thankfully not life-threatening) injury.
Hombre de 61 años herido de carácter moderado tras caerle un rayo encima cuando salía, paraguas en mano, al jardín de su vivienda en #Torrelodones. #SUMMA112 traslada al hospital. También intervino policía local y @PCivilTorre pic.twitter.com/NzDcsdDrSt
— 112 Comunidad Madrid (@112cmadrid) August 11, 2020
- The lightning bolt went through the man’s leg. The man was holding an umbrella at the time of the strike, which took the brunt of the force. However, the bolt then traveled down his arm and to his left leg before finally getting to his crown jewels. According to an emergency service personnel member, “He has serious burns on the exit area around his genitals and left leg.” Ouch!
- He was treated at home before being transported. While paramedics tried to treat the man as much as they could while he was still at home, he ultimately had to be transported to Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda University Hospital for further treatment. Sadly, there’s no update on the man’s condition.
- Europe has been having some crazy thunderstorms lately. The entire continent has dealt with storm warnings and actual downpours and thunder and lightning hitting various countries at different times. Madrid was recently put on “orange alert” for severe weather, according to the State Meteorological Agency, and this just proves how dangerous things could get!
- It’s important to be careful out there. While the chances of becoming the victim of a lightning strike (and getting burned testicles) are pretty low, it’s still very dangerous to be out in storms when they come around. If it happens, seek shelter and stay away from windows. Definitely don’t hold umbrellas with any metal components when there’s lightning around! You don’t want to end up with burnt bits or other problems!
