(DMN) SEYMOUR, Indiana — Four teen athletes were injured, one remains in critical condition after lightning struck during high school softball practice in the Southern Indiana City of Seymour, 60 miles south of Indianapolis. Three girls were taken to a Seymour hospital and released but one girl, a freshman, was transported to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis where she is reported to be in critical condition. WAVE-TV in Louisville (Ky.) is reporting that lightning struck the practice field around 4:25 (EDT) this afternoon.
“We all started bawling because we were so scared,” said one of the teammates who wished to not give her name. In the seconds after the lightning strike, no one could make sense of what had just happened. The television station reported an ominous band of storms blowing through Thursday afternoon, but students say the storm front seemed to pop up out of nowhere. “There was one cloud,” one teammate said. “It was nothing,” said another. Practice continued as normal, until Mother Nature struck around 4:00.
“I just saw a light shining and it just hit here and I didn’t even believe what was going on. I didn’t even know she was hurt until she was laying flat on the ground,” the teammate said. Many heard and felt the powerful strike and came running to help. “Track had just let out so there was track people coming running over and is like everyone okay and the baseball coach was running over,” the second teammate said. Now the team that plays together is praying together and uniting behind their coach and school officials. “He would get us off the field. Definitely. There’s no doubt about it. So there’s absolutely no one who should be like well its his fault for not getting them off the field. Nothing like that at all,” the teammate said.
Indulge me for a minute…please. The Indiana Hoosiers are back in the NCAA Basketball tournament for the first time in four years and the Hoosiers are good! The team was practicing hard in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, preparing for the much-anticipated game against New Mexico State. “There’s things we still want to accomplish. Once the game gets going, it’s all business,” said junior guard Jordan Hulls. “It’s exciting. It’s something that you try to go to sleep at night and you just have trouble,” said sophomore forward Will Sheehey. “Finally, we get a chance to get on this court and practice. It’s a beautiful place.”
The optimism among Hoosier fans has been infectious after a season that saw some impressive wins, including against longtime rival Kentucky. “This team right now, they’re at a place they’ve just got to understand what makes them successful,” said head coach Tom Crean. “Anything that’s said in a good way and anything that’s said in a bad way, that’s going to have absolutely nothing to do with it tomorrow night.” The team had a group movie outing Tuesday night to see “Act of Valor.” The players said they’re ready for the battle ahead. “I know these guys are ready to play just like me, so I can’t wait to get it rolling,” said sophomore guard Victor Oladipo. “We’re happy to be here, but we’re very humbled to be here and we’re honored,” said junior forward Derek Elston. “I feel like this team, we’re going to take it all the way.”IU will take on New Mexico State on Thursday at 9:45 p.m (EDT) 8:45 p.m. (CDT)
Houston traffic and Houston drivers go hand in hand and both rank in the top, as in the worst. According to Mens Health Magazine, only two cities have worse drivers than us. Dallas and, worst of the worst, St. Louis. Having driven in Dallas, I would have to agree. Those folks are desperate, dangerous and fast. Houstonians are just dangerous and fast…and selfish. Former Houston Mayor Bill White summed it up pretty well a few years ago when he called the cities massive traffic jams a true “quality of life issue.” I like Bill but having sat on the 45 Gulf and 45 North and 59 and the Katy, that is probably an monumental understatement. Houston IS traffic. Dangerous TRAFFIC.
Men’s Health looked at 100 cities and used this criteria: We tabulated the rate of fatal crashes; the percentage of fatalities involving alcohol, speeding, or hit and run; and the rate of seatbelt use (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Then we factored in the average number of years between accidents (Allstate) and laws on cellphone use while driving (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and city governments).
Dallas and Austin were also ranked in the top 10 most dangerous in the report. Out of Texas cities, Plano fared best at number 34 on the list. The safest drivers out of those ranked in the report is St. Paul, Minnesota.
The rankings for the most dangerous drivers is as follows:
1. St. Louis, MO
2. Dallas, TX
3. Charleston, WV
4. Houston, TX
5. Billing, MT
6. Providence, RI
7. Columbia, SC
8. Durham, NC
9. Orlando, FL
10. Austin, TX
