Watch: Soccer Player Lucky To Be Alive After Being Struck by Lightning
Ivan Zaborovsky, a 16-year-old Russian goalkeeper for Znamya Truda, a soccer club based in the city of Orekhovo-Zuevo, was recently struck by lightning, putting him in a coma.
Zaborovsky and his teammates were practicing on July 4 when he went to kick the ball toward the goal. A bolt of lightning then struck and propelled him into the air.
Video footage captured the whole thing, from the single flash of light to the puff of smoke. His teammates looked on in shock, before running to him.
“There was a clear sky, albeit overcast, but neither rain nor wind. If there was a thunderstorm, then we would not have been training,” club General Director Igor Mayorov said, according to CNN.
Zaborovsky was rushed to the hospital, where he was put into an induced coma.
According to a translation of a Monday post from the soccer club’s Twitter account, Mayorov said that he had been in touch with Zaborovsky’s father.
“[Ivan’s] eyes react, he responds to commands, the dynamics of recovery are positive, he will play [again],” Mayorov said in Russian.
“We will see how MRI, [electrocardiogram] will be done. His situation is under the control of the minister of health of the region.”
Also Monday, the club tweeted out another message saying, “[His] condition is stable, the cardiogram is normal” and there are no “threats to life.”
Момент удара молнии ⚡
На сегодня состояние стабильное, кардиограмма в норме, сильные ожоги на месте входа и выхода разряда молнии. Угрозы жизни, по словам врачей, нет.#знамятруда #ореховозуево pic.twitter.com/nfJIvjKYaC
— Znamya Truda FC ? (@ZnamyaTrudaFC) July 6, 2020
While Zaborovsky suffered severe burns to his body, the club tweeted an update Tuesday revealing that doctors have “disconnected him from the mechanical ventilation apparatus and gradually removed him from an artificial coma.”
⚡ О состоянии Ивана Заборовского: Мне известно, что врачи оценивают состояние Ивана как стабильное, его отключили от аппарата искусственной вентиляции легких и постепенно выводят из искусственной комы, — сказал «Футбольным темам» гендиректор «Знамени Труда» Игорь Майоров. pic.twitter.com/edCwh8TVE0
— Znamya Truda FC ? (@ZnamyaTrudaFC) July 7, 2020
The club released another update on Twitter on Wednesday, saying, “We are in a hurry to tell you … pleasant news for everyone! Vanya Zaborovsky feels satisfactory. Yesterday, he called coach Basov Anton Evgenievich and congratulated him on his birthday.”
His story has caught many people’s attention, including Yaroslav Hodzyur, stopper for the Russian Premier League club Ural Yekaterinburg.
He filmed a video for Zaborovsky, sending his wishes for a fast recovery, Give Me Sport reported.
“Hey, Ivan. I heard your story. I’m glad that you’re getting better. I wish you a speedy recovery. Be healthy and make your loved ones proud. We’re with you,” he said.
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