[ad_1]
On Tuesday night there were several lightning strikes in Abtwil during a thunderstorm. 14 young people were injured at the Spiserwis sports field and had to be taken to hospital. 13 players have already left the hospital. The 16-year-old, who had to be taken to the hospital with Rega, remains hospitalized.
- On Tuesday night, lightning struck the Spiserwis sports ground in Abtwil during a youth soccer game.
- 14 young people between the ages of 15 and 16 were injured and taken to various hospitals Tuesday night; A soccer player was unconscious and Rega flew him to the hospital.
- On Wednesday afternoon there is still a young man in the hospital.
- Two years ago, the sports field was reviewed for electrical engineering and was evaluated as defect-free at the time.
(rms / dwa / fin / rar / dar / nat) On Tuesday evening, lightning struck the spotlight at the Spiserwis sports ground during a match between B-Juniors from FC Abtwil-Engelburg and FC Münsterlingen in Abtwil. Then he crossed the field and met several players. Hanspeter Krüsi, media spokesman for the canton of St. Gallen police, said Tuesday night when asked:
«14 young people between 15 and 16 years old were injured. She has been admitted to various hospitals and remains there for surveillance. “
A soccer player was unconscious, he had to be transported by Rega. On Tuesday night, Krüsi cannot give any precise information on the exact state of health. The person concerned suffered an injury due to an electric shock. The exact course of the accident is currently being clarified. No spectators were injured during the game.
On Wednesday afternoon, the cantonal police announced that 13 young people had been able to leave the hospital. The 16-year-old footballer, who had to be taken to the hospital with Rega, remains hospitalized. According to medical staff, his health is stable, according to a press release. More precise information cannot be given.
According to a statement from FC Münsterlingen, the club’s youth are stable. It also says:
“This also applies to the briefly unconscious junior who had to be treated by Rega.”
Meanwhile, seven of the eight players affected by FC Münsterlingen were able to leave the hospital, the board wrote in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters, police and paramedics moved to Abtwil with a large contingent. Six ambulances and a care team were summoned. Traffic was only slightly restricted due to the incident, so Krüsi continued.
Not the first incident
Lightning struck Sirnach nine years ago
It is not the first time that lightning has struck a sports field in eastern Switzerland. In the spring of 2011 there was a thunderbolt in the second league football match between FC Sirnach-Stella and FC Weesen. Sirnach’s field was wet from rain at the time of the accident. No one was directly hit by lightning. A total of seven people were thrown to the ground by the force of the lightning: two players from each team, the referee and two ball boys. Three victims had to be taken to the hospital for control. The match was stopped immediately after the lightning strike when the score was 2: 1 for the guest.
As a result, there were accusations from Weesen’s visiting club. According to the club, the game could have continued without problems. Suddenly, however, the local club players complained of problems and were apparently unable to play anymore, although nothing was noticeable at the time of the lightning strike. For his part, Sirnach responded to the allegations and claimed that a player from the home team had been driven to the clubhouse after the lightning strike and collapsed with a headache and nausea.
The Eastern Swiss Football Association has a brochure for matches when storms are imminent
Stephan Häuselmann, President of the Eastern Swiss Football Association.
Stephan Häuselmann, president of the Eastern Swiss Football Association (OFV), was dismayed Wednesday morning:
“The impact is still great today. Our thoughts are with the youth, the parents and the coaches. “
These incidents are always tragic. Remember the Sirnach incident (see info box). Even if no one was struck by lightning directly at the time, the Eastern Swiss Football Association wrote a brochure on thunderstorms for referees and coaches. In this it says something like:
“If thunder follows lightning after 15 seconds, the storm is about three miles away and therefore dangerously close; the referee should interrupt a football game.”
This brochure is a supplement to the official referee brochure of the Referees Committee of the Swiss Football Association. Here are the reasons for leaving the game: Lightning storms are also mentioned. However, there is no more precise description of the situation in which a game must be abandoned, as stated in the OFV brochure. According to the regulations of the Swiss Football Association, a referee may only abandon a game if other measures, such as a stoppage, are “ineffective”. According to Häuselmann, only the referee can abort or interrupt a game in accordance with the regulations.
Lightning struck as the storm was moving away
So should the game have stopped? Marcel Stofer, president of the OFV referee commission, answers this question. Stofer lives near Engelburg and was at the scene of the incident around 10:30 p.m. He spoke with various officials, parents and others present, Stofer says.
“Aborting or interrupting the game was never a topic of discussion.”
According to those present, the lightning did not occur until the storm was about to retreat. As a general rule, the referee and the coach make a joint decision. Neither the referee nor the coach would have considered leaving the game, according to Stofer. Coaches or other officials, this is also indicated in the brochure, can only request the interruption of the game. If the referee does not respond, the team could protest and leave the field. Stofer states: “Thunderstorms are special, but not unusual in soccer.”
It is currently being investigated whether the game should have been canceled due to bad weather conditions, in cooperation with the St. Gallen canton police and the prosecution. Hanspeter Krüsi, spokesperson for Kapo, specifies on request. All possible causes and factors will be investigated: weather data, referee regulations, lighting system. Krüsi continues:
Was it a technical failure? Was it a human error? Or just a coincidence? “
According to various manufacturers, light poles on sports fields often have a lightning rod. “These chandeliers are usually grounded,” says Hermann Kolb of the Kolb Protech company in Oberriet, in the Rhine Valley. The lightning rod is installed by electricians.
The referee was attended by a healthcare team
Even if the referee was not struck by lightning, he was also affected, says referee commission chairman Stofer, who was able to speak to the referee on Tuesday night. It is also an intense situation for him. Consequently, he was cared for by the care team and escorted home. As advised by psychologists, he went to work on Wednesday morning. Stofel continues:
“The referee is fine.”
Roger Wagner, vice president of FC Abtwil-Engelburg, said Wednesday morning at “20 minutes” that upcoming matches and training sessions will be canceled when there is an impending storm. “But in the past we have also experienced countless situations in which nothing has happened.” Gambling is a matter of human judgment. Those affected in the association will be closely accompanied and supported.
The mayor is concerned
Boris Tschirky, mayor of Gaiserwald.
Boris Tschirky, mayor of Gaiserwald, in whose municipality the Spiserwis football field is located, seems concerned about the accident when asked.
“Of course I hope that the young footballers will recover quickly.”
The prosecution will now investigate the incident more closely. Tschirky can say a lot: “The entire system was electrotechnically overhauled two years ago and evaluated as defect-free at the time.”
Several players were injured by a lightning strike on the Spiserwis sports field.
How is the Kybunpark secured?
Could a similar incident happen in the Kybunpark during an FC St. Gallen match? David Gadze, FC St. Gallen media spokesman, writes on request that the Kybunpark is protected in accordance with current building security technology rules and standards. Plus:
“However, it cannot be ruled out that lightning strikes the field, as it happens in any open field.”
Lightning strikes the house too
The lightning bolt on the sports field wasn’t the only one that night. The fire brigade also had to move because of a house fire at the Ausserdorf Abtwil bus stop. “There were no injuries in this incident,” confirms Hanspeter Krüsi. There was only material damage to the roof.
A second lightning bolt struck a house.
