Lightning flashes over downtown Las Vegas during a thunderstorm early on September 13, 2011. A lightning strike in Ottawa killed an 18-year-old man on Friday.. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The victim of a Friday lightning strike during a storm in east Ottawa has died, CBC News has learned.
The family has identified the man as 18-year-old Joël Gauthier of nearby Rockland, Ont.
"It's not right," said his uncle, Mario Beauchamp, by phone from Calgary on Saturday.
Gauthier was cycling with an 18-year-old woman in Vincent Massey Park on Friday evening during an intense, fast-moving storm that caused damage throughout the city.
Police said the pair had stopped under a tree to put on their rain gear when lightning struck the tree just after 7 p.m. ET.
Victim was an avid cyclist, 'excellent kid,' uncle says
Gauthier went into cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
The woman, meanwhile, was taken to hospital to be treated for numbness in her arms.
Beauchamp said Gauthier was his favourite nephew, an avid cyclist and an "excellent kid" who was studying to become an electrical engineer.
Condolence messages have begun appearing on social media websites.
"You were an exceptional person," one woman wrote on Facebook. "You will be missed, but never forgotten."
Another woman on Twitter said "Only the good die young…You were much too young. RIP Joel Gauthier."
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The victim of a Friday lightning strike during a storm in east Ottawa has died, CBC News has learned.
The family has identified the man as 18-year-old Joël Gauthier of nearby...
The victim of a Friday lightning strike during a storm in east Ottawa has died, CBC News has learned.
The family has identified the man as 18-year-old Joël Gauthier of nearby...
The problem with not doing this one thing is that trees are every where. If you walk anywhere in Toronto on a sidewalk you are bound to be walking under a tree at any given moment. Does this mean I should walk in the middle of the road during a thunderstorm?
Loknauth_Singh: The problem with not doing this one thing is that
When I used to drink a lot, and therefore was oblivious to danger, I did all kinds of stuff that, in retrospect, would have gotten me dead. I truly believe that God saved me for a purpose, but I'm still trying (after 22 years) to find out what that purpose is/was.
I never go out in lightning anymore and look both ways before I cross the street. With all the redlight runners, you had BETTER look both ways. My son and I have nearly been hit 4 times by redlight runners. We missed being hit by about 3 seconds. Makes you think about why you're here.
viciousvirago: When I used to drink a lot, and therefore was
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CBC | Posted: 05/26/2012 7:08 pm Updated: 05/29/2012 11:33 pm