A Saskatoon teen is in hospital in North Dakota after his car was blown off the road by a tornado Thursday, killing his father. Rod Bulmer, 51, was driving his son Troy Bulmer — a freshman at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C., back to college when the tragedy occurred, a family member said.
“Both Rod and Troy were avid golfers and spent many hours together on the golf course with friends and family,” she said.
“(Rod) was a kind, loving person who did everything for his family and friends, and nothing was more important than family to him, especially his children.”
At around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the pair was travelling in a four-door Honda sedan about 10 kilometres east of Bowbells, N.D., when a tornado lifted the vehicle off the ground, carrying it for 500 metres in the air before it landed upside down in a field, says a North Dakota Highway Patrol news release.
“The passenger of the car (Troy) sustained serious injuries, but was able to walk back to Highway 52 to receive assistance from responding fire and rescue units,” said a Burke County Sheriff’s Department news release.
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Troy had walked about 500 metres from the overturned vehicle to the nearby farm of Dennis Bauer, where fire and rescue units were already assisting the farmer. Bauer’s home had been destroyed by a tornado, said Bowbells resident Al Ross, one of many people helping Bauer clean up his homestead Friday.
Rod Bulmer was taken to a Kenmare, N.D., hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, said the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
Troy was taken to Trinity Hospital in Minot, N.D., for treatment of severe injuries.
“His injuries are not life-threatening, he has broken bones and sutures, but he’s in stable condition and will be released shortly from Trinity hospital,” said the family member.
The family member describes both Rod and Troy as avid golfers. Troy was returning early to university to begin practising for the upcoming fall season.
Troy has a golf scholarship with Pfeiffer University and is on the golf team, says the university’s website.
Contrary to North Dakota Highway Patrol news release which listed Rod and Troy as St. Brieux residents, Rod lived in Saskatoon with Troy and his 24-year-old daughter, the family member said.
Rod commuted to St. Brieux, where he had an accounting business, she said.
The Bauer homestead near Bowbells was destroyed, said Ross.
“The farmstead is completely demolished, the house roof fell off, the machinery is completely rolled over and mangled,” said Ross.
Ross said during the cleanup he saw a Hitachi crop sprayer that was “completely rolled up in a ball” and other large pieces of equipment crumpled and melded together from the tornado.
“It covered an area at least a mile wide and spread debris for 2 1/2 miles,” said Ross, who saw the tornado.
Divide Electric and Montana Dakota Utilities responded to downed power lines east of Bowbells, said the Burke County Sheriff’s Department.
The storm also produced hail, large amounts of rain and extremely high winds. Golf-ball sized hail was observed.
A damage assessment team from the National Weather Service responded to the scene of the tornado Friday.
aadamko@sp.canwest.com
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