Latest news with #SteveBarrett
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Brit tourist hit by lightning and thrown off his feet while fishing on holiday
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Steve Barrett, 54, was hit by an unexpected bolt of lightning while fishing with friends at the Carp Zoo fishery in the Loire Valley on unlucky Friday, June 13 A British tourist has recalled the terrifying moment he was temporarily "paralysed" by a freak lightning strike while fishing in France. Steve Barrett, 54, was hit by an unexpected bolt of lightning while angling with friends at the Carp Zoo fishery in the Loire Valley on unlucky Friday, June 13. The gardener, from Dorset, was standing 10ft from a tree when it was directly hit by the lightning strike before the electric current "bounced" and hit Steve's fishing rod. He was blasted off his feet and lay paralysed on the bank, fearing he was dead, as his friends desperately raced towards him. Steve was rushed to hospital suffering with broken ribs, burns, bruising and a hole in his shoulder as a result of the blast. He also suffered injuries from splinters that flew over from the nearby tree. Luckily, the fisherman is due to make a full recovery but feels grateful to be alive after surviving the freak event on the 'unlucky' date. Steve said: "It was just one strike, it didn't even rain after, it was just one bolt of lightning 'bang'. I was fishing on the bank at the time. One of the guys saw the lightning strike but didn't realise it had hit me. "It kind of bounced off the tree then hit my fishing rod. It wasn't a direct hit, I probably wouldn't have survived that. "I was probably about 10 feet away from the tree. I knew I'd got hit because I could just feel the heat that went through my left side. It paralysed me straight away. "It was just masses of pins and needles, I couldn't feel my body at all. It was a really odd sensation." Dazed and unable to move, Steve was rushed to hospital via ambulance where doctors treated his extensive injuries. After five days in hospital and multiple stitches, Steve was able to return home feeling lucky to be alive. Steve said: "It was only a second or two [after being hit] before I went unconscious. I thought I was dead. I kind of went through a bit of emotional trauma there. "My shoulder got hit by those pieces of wood that came from the tree. Couple of inches higher and it would've got me in the neck. I feel very lucky. I've not had any after effects of being hit by lightning." The shocking incident comes just weeks after a man tragically died after being struck by lightning while on his honeymoon in Florida. Jake Rosencranz, 29, was standing ankle-deep in the water at New Smyrna Beach, near Daytona Beach, when he was hit by lightning on Friday afternoon, according to Volusia County Beach Safety officials. Emergency responders performed CPR on the scene before rushing him to hospital in critical condition. Despite efforts to save him, Jake was pronounced dead the following day. The newlywed, who was visiting from Colorado, had been in Florida to celebrate his wedding with his wife, Leah.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
British angler cheats death after his fishing rod is struck by a lightning bolt
A British angler cheated death after being struck with lightning while fishing in France. Steve Barrett, 54, was fishing with friends at the Carp Zoo fishery in the Loire Valley, France, on Friday, June 13 when lightning struck and split a tree. The gardener, from Christchurch, Dorset, was blasted off his feet as it 'bounced', zapping his fishing rod. 'I was probably about 10 feet away from the tree,' he said. 'I knew I'd got hit because I could just feel the heat that went through my left side. It paralysed me straight away.' 'It was just masses of pins and needles, I couldn't feel my body at all. It was a really odd sensation.' He said he was left laying on the bank, fearing he was dead as his friends desperately raced towards him. Dazed and unable to move, Steve was rushed to hospital suffering with broken ribs, burns, bruising and a hole in his shoulder. He also suffered injuries from splinters that flew over from the nearby tree. Mr Barrett is due to make a full recovery and said he felt 'very lucky' that he had not had any after effects. The angler was fishing with friends in France He said: 'It was just one strike, it didn't even rain after, it was just one bolt of lightning 'bang'. 'I was fishing on the bank at the time. One of the guys saw the lightning strike but didn't realise it had hit me.' Mr Barrett said the bolt 'kind of bounced off the tree then hit my fishing rod'. 'It wasn't a direct hit, I probably wouldn't have survived that,' he assessed, adding that he was 'very lucky' to have come away without lasting injuries. The 54-year-old spent five days in hospital and required multiple stitches for his injuries. 'It was only a second or two [after being hit] before I went unconscious. I thought I was dead. I kind of went through a bit of emotional trauma there. 'My shoulder got hit by those pieces of wood that came from the tree. Couple of inches higher and it would've got me in the neck. 'I feel very lucky. I've not had any after effects of being hit by lightning.' Fifty-eight people were killed in Britain by lightning strikes over a three decade period. The average annual risk of being struck and killed was one person in 33 million. Survivors have reported strange after effects. Carly Electric, as she calls herself, from Queensland, Australia said that after she was struck in December 2023, she was left with an entirely different eye colour. 'When I looked it up online, I discovered it wasn't uncommon for this to happen in people who had been electrocuted,' she said. Carly's green eyes turned brown after she was struck while filming a storm on her phone. 'I had goosebumps travelling up and down my arms in waves,' she recalled. 'I was covered in sweat, light-headed and almost euphoric. 'Then suddenly, I lost all feeling in my limbs. I couldn't move, not even an inch.' Carly was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with keraunoparalysis, a rare neurological issue causing temporary paralysis, with her left unable to move for nine hours. 'My speech was still slurred, though they could see how shocked I was,' she said. After two weeks, she was almost back to her old self, apart from a strange change to her eye colour and an 'overly sensitive' spot on the top of her head.
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
I was nearly killed when I was struck by lightning while fishing on Friday 13th – I'm lucky to be alive
ANGLER Steve Barrett survived a terrifying lightning strike — on Friday the 13th. The 54-year-old was left with a hole in his shoulder, broken ribs, severe burns and bruising when the 300million-volt bolt zapped his carbon-fibre rod, snapping it in two. 4 4 4 He was hurled backwards by the impact, while a tree he was stood near was blown apart with splinters shattering van windows, puncturing a dinghy and tearing a hole in a tent. Gardener Steve, who was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to hospital, said: 'I'm lucky to be alive. 'I thought I was a goner, and the worst thing is I never even caught a carp. 'I felt this heat go down my left side, I was totally paralysed like having a severe stroke. 'Then I couldn't feel my body. 'I felt elevated, my head was in the air. 'I thought that was it. 'I passed out but woke a few minutes later in severe pain from the heat and where I had landed on my rods and broken my ribs.' He and pals had just finished steak dinner at the Carp Zoo fishery in France's Loire Valley when the strike happened at 6.30pm on June 13. Steve, of Christchurch, Dorset, added: 'Nine of us go to the same spot every year. Terrifying moment lightning bolt strikes house just metres from girl, 6, sending screaming kids scrambling for shelter 'It was muggy and humid but there wasn't a thunderstorm or rain, it was just one strike out of the blue — bang. 'There were no other strikes that evening, it was bizarre. 'The whole thing has been horrendous. 'It's probably put ten years on me. 'It certainly makes you take stock.' His friends managed to get him into a car to drive him to the main gate of the fishery to wait for an ambulance. Carp Zoo owner Tom Tebbutt, who organised medical help, said: 'Everyone was in good spirits, but what happened next was unbelievably frightening. 'Luckily, Steve is back home and will make a full recovery.' 4 Tom plans to urge anglers to return to the clubhouse if there are any weather warnings in place in future. 'Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature,' he added. 'We feel we have escaped with a warning of what could happen.'
BBC News
21-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Huge hive found at Great Ryburgh maltings removed by beekeeper
A honey bee colony discovered in a wall cavity of an industrial building "is the biggest I've ever dealt with", a beekeeper has said. The nest, believed to contain 80,000 insects, was found about six weeks ago at Crisp Malt, Great Ryburgh, near Fakenham, Norfolk, by scaffolders. Steve Barrett, of Barrett's Bees, said: "Yes, there's been a few stings, nothing major, but they've been very, very friendly, it's been a successful day."He is also the beekeeper of brewing company Adnams of Southwold, Suffolk, and he initially plans to relocate the bees to his aviaries there. "This is the biggest I've every dealt with, it's a really good size and very healthy too, said Mr Barrett. The extent of colony came to light when the company decided to renovate a building dating back to 1903, said Dan Clarke, site manager at Crisp Malt. "As we put up some scaffolding, the scaffolders recognised there were some bees flying in and out of the building, so we stopped to have a little look, called in contractors and yes it's a bee hive," he said. "There's always bees and other stuff flying around, no-one took much notice, but they've been around for 10 to 12 years and the hive was a lot bigger than expected." Chris Fulford, from builders PJ Spillings, was surprised that the bees were "a lot less angry than I thought they'd be".The site supervisor admitted he was a bit nervous when he began cutting into the wall to access the colony. "It's unnerving when they're all right in front of your face and you're in the hole, putting your hands in there, but it's been alright, I've got a nice suit and only got stung once so far," he said. Mr Barrett, who has 18 miles of aviaries across various counties, expects the bees to settle into their new home quickly. "They'll do orientation flights, I'll face them southerly and there's quite a bit of forage where they're going," he said. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Age
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Merrett incident could shake up Brownlow; Super Saturday lives up to the hype as Hawks, Bombers, Suns, Crows win
Can Port push again? By Steve Barrett Darcy Fogarty struck the first blow of the fourth quarter, snapping truly after a chain of handballs involving Izak Rankine and Riley Thilthorpe to put Adelaide up by nine points. Port Adelaide activated their sub to start the term, with young Christian Moraes coming on for Jed McEntee. Early in the quarter, Zak Butters, who dominated the third stanza, went off in clear pain following a strong bump on the members' wing from Josh Worrell. 10.28pm on May 10, 2025 Emotional Rioli proud to be playing at home in Darwin Gold Coast star Daniel Rioli admits his side were a bit lucky to keep ahead of the Western Bulldogs in the final seconds. 'The Dogs are humming at the moment, but we've tried to build our fortress here,' Daniel Rioli told Fox Footy. 'They came at us hard, and I think we were lucky enough to get the win – they dug deep at the end and that's a good win. 'They've got Bont, they've got a lot of players who can turn a game for them.' Rioli – whose family has strong ties to Darwin footy with one of the stands named after Maurice Rioli – said it was emotional to play just his second AFL game in the Territory. 'It's pretty emotional, to be honest. I have a lot of family here and I played a lot of my junior footy here with guys like Ben Long and some of the other indigenous boys like Malcolm Rosas and Joel Jeffrey – it's amazing to get back here,' he said. 'We played the Dream Time game [with Richmond] here in 2020 and to get back here for more games this year in front of family and friends, it's amazing.' 10.20pm on May 10, 2025 A thrilling finish looms By Steve Barrett Port Adelaide lead most of the key statistics, but Adelaide's superior efficiency in attack – or, more specifically, a guy named Riley Thilthorpe – had the Crows ahead by two points at three-quarter-time. Led by Zak Butters, the Power extended their dominance at the contest, in clearances and inside-50s in the third term. Port are in the hunt, but they are 0-8 in fourth quarters in 2025. They will need to buck that trend and frank their other advantages if they are to reel the Crows in as a typically barnstorming Showdown finish looms. Early in the final term, the Crows hold a three-point advantage, 10.9 (69) to 10.6 (66).
