A football tournament held at The Sele School in Hertford turned tragic on Monday afternoon when a lightning strike affected several people. A boy, aged 12, and a man in his 50s were struck by lightning during the district tournament, leaving the boy in a critical condition. School staff performed CPR on the boy until paramedics arrived. The East of England Ambulance Service announced that the child was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for further treatment while the man was transferred to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.
Chris Quach, headteacher of The Sele School, posted a gratitude message on Facebook on Monday evening, thanking the emergency services, parents, and staff present at the tournament for their quick thinking and support. Although the school did not have a team participating in the tournament, members of staff were present on site and used defibrillators to revive the boy after his heart had stopped. Mr Quach confirmed that the boy who was critically injured was a pupil at Chauncy School in Ware in Hertfordshire.
A spokesperson for the ambulance service stated that they were alerted at around 17:15 BST with information that a child and a man had been struck by lightning on Welwyn Road. The ambulance service rapidly dispatched air and ground vehicles, including the East Anglian Air Ambulance, two ambulance officer vehicles, a BASICS vehicle, an ambulance, and a rapid response car. Both the man and the child were transported to their respective hospitals by land ambulance.
The entire school community, including its staff and supporters, are sending out their thoughts and support to those affected by the lightning strike. The ambulance service has not provided an update on the man’s condition as of yet
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