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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, July 25, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Indiana Dunes NL Three Visitors Injured In Lightning Strike On the evening of July 18th, a line of severe thunderstorms moved across northern Indiana. In addition to heavy rainfall, the storms brought an average of 2300 lightning strikes per hour. One of these lightning strikes found a target in the Dunewood Campground and injured three Canadian visitors. The bolt left an impact crater one foot in diameter adjacent to their tent. From the evidence at the scene, the lightning moved from the crater to the nearest corner peg of the tent, which was about a foot away. Once inside the tent, the lightning sliced across the floor, through an umbrella and out the next tent peg, leaving a burned/melted path behind. The path of the lightning was less than two inches from the family of three inside the tent. The lightning exited the tent and apparently ended at the campers' car, as all of the electrical components were found inoperable the next day. The bolt affected all three family members. The five-year-old child temporarily stopped breathing. While the mother started CPR, the father obtained help from other campers. After a short time, the child began breathing on his own. Rangers, county deputies and EMS personnel responded to the incident. All three family members were transported to a local hospital for observation. They were released the next day. [Mike Bremer, Chief Ranger] Chickasaw NRA Shots Fired At Campground On July 17th, rangers responded to a report of shots fired at the swimming area at Buckhorn Campground. They contacted three people at the water's edge - B.J., D.T. and S.T. They learned that S.T. had been engaged in a domestic dispute with B.J. and had removed a .45 caliber pistol from his vehicle and fired several shots into the woods not far from several visitors. T. said that she wanted B.J. to think that she'd committed suicide. All three were arrested for public intoxication. S.T. was charged with discharging a firearm in a public place. [Dennis Weiland, Chief Ranger] Badlands NP Vehicle Rollover With Extrication A park visitor reported a single-vehicle rollover accident just outside the park's Northeast Entrance Station along Highway 240 on July 18th. Park personnel and the park's structural fire brigade were immediately dispatched. Minuteman Missile NHS chief ranger Pam Griswold was the first to arrive and began assessing injuries to the vehicle's two occupants. The driver appeared seriously injured and was pinned within the car. Members of the structural fire brigade began extrication efforts. The driver's door and vehicle roof were cut off and the driver was loaded onto a life flight helicopter and flown to the Rapid City Regional Hospital. During extrication and the subsequent emergency medical care, rangers closed down Highway 240 for approximately one hour. Due to its complexity and location, the incident required considerable resources from both Badlands National Park and Minuteman Missile NHS. The vehicle's other occupant was transported by private vehicle to the Rapid City Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The accident investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol. [Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger] Colonial NHP Drowning At College Creek The park received a 911 call from James City County police around midday on July 19th, reporting that a child was missing in the water at the College Creek beach along Colonial Parkway. Rangers responded along with county fire and police units. According to the mother of the five-year-old girl, she was last seen wading in the creek. The mother was distracted for a moment and the girl was gone when she looked back. A search was begun. About 30 minutes after the initial call and less than 10 minutes after rescue personnel arrived on scene, two county officers found the girl floating face down in the creek about 100 yards from the point last scene. She was pulled from the water and advanced resuscitation efforts were begun, but she did not survive. College Creek has a very strong current at this location and the area is posted with warning signs advising visitors not to swim or wade in the area. Rangers who patrol the area frequently stop to advise visitors of the danger. [Tom Nash, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Western Parks - Large fires continue to burn in Yellowstone and Zion National Parks as the Western fire season progresses and NIFC operations move into their highest gear. International - The first annual World Ranger Day will occur on Tuesday, July 31st. A list of the many celebratory events being scheduled around the NPS will appear in tomorrow's edition. Information on events in your park or office is being solicited for inclusion in that calendar. Grand Teton NP - A beloved Grand Teton National Park family suffered a terrible loss this past weekend. Mel and Rita Denton's son, Adam, 17, was tragically killed in a car accident on Saturday morning. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |