The Knudsens still remember one clear day in Texas that changed their lives forever.
It was July 29th, 2004, Hailey Knudsen’s first birthday. Her dad, Scott Knudsen, cradled her in his arms as he stood next to his wife, Tracy, admiring their freshly washed tractor. Tracy had cleaned it as a surprise for Scott while he drove to town for farm supplies. The sky was Texas blue. A perfect moment for a young family starting life together on their ranch.
That was before the sky turned white, their ears started ringing like an old telephone and their vision buzzed like a TV without a signal. At first, they laughed. Mostly in shock, but also at the absurdity of what they realized just happened. The family had been struck by lightning. A couple hundred yards away, the horses had felt the power of the strike and went into a frenzy. The sprinklers burst out of the ground and did the same. Inside the house, the electronics were fried.
“I felt electricity in my nose, like if you’ve ever messed with a light switch and you feel a jolt, that’s what it felt like,” Tracy recalled. “Every time I blinked it was like someone was taking my picture with really bright flash photography, and my eyes felt like they were burned.”
At first, the couple carried on like nothing happened. After all, they had a little girl’s birthday to celebrate.
Scott and Tracy reassured one another they were fine. The electricity was still dancing in Tracy’s nose as she loaded Hailey into her car seat to go to town for her birthday cake.
An hour and a half later when Tracy came through the door with her hands full and set little Hailey down, she saw a darkness had spread like ink under her husband's eyes.
“I came home, and he was like a zombie,” said Tracy. “He wasn’t making sense when he was trying to talk.”
Scott admitted he may not be okay.
“It spiraled really quickly, the nausea and my head burning kept getting worse and worse,” Scott said. “I tried to call the doctor and I tried to use the phone but realized I was using the computer.”
Instead of celebrating baby Hailey's birthday, the Knudsens rushed to the hospital. They were examined by doctors who said they had never treated a lightning victim before. Miraculously, Hailey was unscathed. Her dad took the brunt of the strike.
“We didn’t realize it at the time, but we had taken a direct hit not knowing that it had gone through his head and came out through his hand,” said Tracy.
Heightened farm risk
What happened on that Texas ranch is more common than many people realize. According to the CDC, farmers and ranchers are at the highest risk for being struck by lightning compared to overall work activities, which contribute to around 18% of total lightning fatalities in the U.S.
In Florida, the lightning capital of the world, that risk goes up. Floridians have roughly a one in 6,810 chance of being struck in their lifetime, according to an analysis by John Jensenius at the National Lightning Safety Council. Farming and field labor are more susceptible, according to the CJC, along with landscapers, roofers and other outdoor workers.
In 2018, C.W. Hendrix Farms in Parkland, Florida failed to protect their workers as a storm approached. Employees were told to remain working in the field despite voicing safety concerns. Lighting struck farmworker Maria Francisco Pascual, 53, in her head and through her foot, killing her. The strike severely injured two other nearby workers. Pascual was a mother of five and grandmother to 12 who had worked for C.W. Hendrix Farms for almost 15 years. Her cousin working in the field alongside her watched her die. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) inspectors found the farm at fault for Pascual’s death and fined the company $12,934, the maximum allowed.
The agency’s Lightning Safety Protocol includes training workers on how to protect themselves. Methods include following the 30–30 rule: Seeking shelter when thunder comes within 30 seconds of a lightning flash, and waiting 30 minutes after the last rumble before returning to work.
“Some people kind of laugh it off and think oh that'll never happen to me,” said Hailey, now 21. “We prepare before it happens every time now. If we know it’s going to storm that night, we take care of the horses in the morning.”
Hailey explained how ranchers have a reputation of being stubborn, often willing to work in all kinds of weather.
“It's a hard lesson to learn, but overall, lightning safety is so important because a lot of cowboys get struck, so it's a really serious thing,” said Scott. “Weather is just tough in our industry. That’s the thing about being ranchers and cattlepeople, it’s tough and nature makes it tougher.”
Recovery
Scott’s recovery was like breaking a wild stallion – slow, painful and full of setbacks. As the days went by, Tracy said, her husband got worse and worse until she realized he didn’t have any memories of events that had happened before the strike.
“All of the memories are still gone from that point backwards, so we just started making new memories,” said Scott. “It’s a special situation and it just made us tighter.”
His motor skills had regressed to Hailey’s level. He had lost the ability to read and write, alongside physical complications.
Scott was no stranger to recovery. Before his encounter with lightning, he had broken over 60 bones as a rodeo cowboy, so he knew about persevering. He attributes his ability to stay positive and endure the recovery to two things: his faith and his family.
Today, Scott has made enough progress that he works as a self-proclaimed cowboy entrepreneur: An inspirational speaker, author and founder of the Cowboy Entrepreneur Foundation. The nonprofit helps injured cowboys cover medical expenses, and supports the families of cowboys who have passed away.
The Knudsens share their story with the hope that people, especially cowboys and ranchers, will feel a little less alone through recoveries and other hardships.
“Faith has helped with every recovery, and it’s kept our family together,” said Scott. “Every injury has been tough in its own way, but our faith has been the best doctor there is.”