Victoria man survives lightning strike via ground current

A day after getting the shock of his life, a Victoria man returned to the scene where he was indirectly struck by a bolt of lightning.

“I was in so much pain, I was screaming… it was one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through,” Sean Ramsay said.

The 24-year-old propane contractor was on the job in Fort Victoria RV Park Tuesday morning, bent over with one knee on the ground as he filled up an RV with propane.
It’s believed the lightning struck nearby trees, sending an electrical current through the ground and into his body, through his knee.

“That was such a freak, unbelievable accident,” View Royal Fire Department assistant fire chief Rob Marshall said.

Ramsay said he didn’t realize what happened until a neighbour who saw the flash ran over to him.

“I immediately got out, ran out to find him and he was just barely walking,” neighbour Evan Williams said.

Williams called 9-1-1 and several other neighbours rushed over to help. Luckily the fire hall is located across the street from the RV park.

“Being in that amount of pain, he still had the sense to disconnect the hose from the vehicle, shut the truck down, and he actually even had a passerby put wheel chocks on to ensure that the vehicle wouldn’t roll away,” Marshall said.

“Even though he was in as much pain as he was, his primary focus was the safety of the trailer park and the surrounding residents… so commendable.”

Marshall said on-duty firefighters initially thought the bolt hit the fire hall.

“They were outside on the ramp checking our radio communications tower when they were paged out for an electrocution here at the RV park,” he said.

Ramsay was discharged after spending several hours in hospital and is on the road to a full recovery.

“I’m lucky, very lucky,” he said.