NFL Fans Struck By Lightning After Packers-Buccaneers Game, 7 Injured

Seven football fans who attended Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers were struck by lightning outside of Raymond James Stadium in Florida. The incident, described by a Tampa Fire Department official as an “indirect lightning strike,” occurred in Parking Lot 14 according to ESPN.

“The boom came at the same time as the light did. It was like the speed-of-sound type thing. And it was loud. It scared the heck out of everybody,” Packers fan Rudy Hynek told the Associated Press. “It was amazing nobody was killed.

All seven fans struck by lightning were taken to a local hospital for treatment, while four or five others voluntarily checked themselves in, said Tampa Fire Department spokesman Jason Penny, according to Yahoo Sports. None of the fans suffered serious injuries, though an elderly man affected by the lightning strike was “worse off” than the others, he said. No deaths were reported in connection with the incident.

A separate report by local television station WTSP said one person was in critical condition but did not provide his identity. The lightning victims ranged in age from early 20s to 70s, officials said.

One victim, 42-year-old Packers fan Heather Boone, posted on Facebook that she and her brother were injured in the strike. She described the incident as “a brush with death” and received four stitches on her forehead. But she remained in good spirits Sunday and told Yahoo Sports that she wanted Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers to know that she “took one for the team.”

Rodgers threw for 318 yards and a touchdown to help secure the Packers’ 20-3 win over the Bucs. Green Bay will face their NFC North rival the Detroit Lions next Sunday afternoon to determine which team will earn the division title.