Lightning reportedly strikes two vehicles

EDMONTON Kayleigh Winton and her family had just begun their drive from Edmonton to the Okanagan through a heavy thunderstorm Thursday morning when lightning struck their vehicle on Highway 2 outside of Ponoka.

“We saw the flash right above us and then it sounded like we’d hit another car,” she told Postmedia on Thursday, adding that no one was harmed.

The flash blew a back tire, and caused their minivan’s dashboard to go dark and the back doors to become stuck. Winton and her boyfriend had to climb out through the front doors to wait with her parents in the rain for a tow truck to come.

But their minivan wasn’t the only unlucky vehicle on the road during the intense rain and hailstorm. Two vehicles in the Ponoka area were towed after “likely (being) struck by lightning,” confirmed the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) Thursday afternoon.

“It would seem lightning does strike twice,” wrote AMA spokesperson Misty Harris, adding that they could not confirm without a mechanic’s inspection.

Ponoka First Call Towing driver Brian Herbert responded to both calls, including Winton’s, and says he responds to similar calls “at least” three times per year in the summer months.

Edmonton-based Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak noted that it’s certainly “not something you hear about every day.”

Both Kulak and Harris encourage drivers driving in severe weather to exercise caution and stop when safe to do so.

“If you’re caught driving on the highway during a thunderstorm, we recommend finding a place to exit, parking in a safe place with your hazard lights on, turning off the engine, and placing your hands in your lap until the storm passes,” wrote Harris.