2012-08-16
Yamri Taddese
Toronto Star
A 48-year-old Mexican migrant worker is dead after he was struck by a lightning that tore through Norfolk County, Ont., Wednesday evening.
Ezequiel Cervantes was working on a ginseng farm in Courtland, Ont., with eight other migrant workers when the lightning struck him, the OPP said.
Emergency crews discovered Cervantes without vital signs and rushed him to a London, Ont., hospital. He remained in critical condition until he was pronounced dead just after 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The labour ministry has been called to investigate.
The OPP issued a lightning warning Thursday, saying 6-12 people are killed and 60-70 others injured each year as a result of lightning strikes in Canada.
Const. Ed Sanchuk said Wednesday the safest thing to do during a thunderstorm is go indoors. If caught outside, low-lying areas like valleys and ditches are safer, he said, adding lying flat on the ground is the worst possible thing people can do during lightning.
Squat and wrap your arms around your legs to “minimize your contact with the ground,” Sanchuk advised.
Agriculture and horticulture workers, Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations - general, and General farm workers
Ontario
English