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LAS VEGAS — Justin Hofer says the last four days have been a total blur.
The 38-year-old father of five has been at a burn trauma center in Las Vegas after a fateful afternoon last Friday when he was struck by lightning on a golf course.
“All I really remember was teeing off on the first hole of the point, and then I really don’t remember anything until I woke up at the hospital here,” Hofer said. “It’s weird. It’s like my memory just got erased. (Sunday) is the first day I really remember.”
Hofer said he and a friend were playing nine holes Friday afternoon at the Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George when they "decided to play another nine 'cause we had some extra time.'"
When they were a few holes into the back nine, the weather started changing. Snowflakes were falling, which is a little strange for sunny St. George — but the next thing he knew, he was on the ground.
“We all went up there to putt out balls in and apparently that’s when it happened,” Hofer said. “I got hit by the lightning and then my really good buddy just looked at me and I just kinda fell over, hit the ground and was on fire.”
His friends rushed to his side. He was responsive at first, but his condition quickly deteriorated. Hofer still remembers his last request before he blacked out.
“(My friend) asked me, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’" Hofer said. "My response was, ‘I need a helicopter and for you to call 911.'"
First responders had to use CPR on Hofer before he was taken to a local hospital. He was stabilized and then transported to the burn center in Las Vegas, where he has since been recovering.
Your odds of getting struck by lightning this year are 1 in 1,083,000, according to the National Weather Service. There are, on average, about 300 people struck by lightning every year and about 30 of those strikes are fatal.
Most people who are struck by lightning are left with varying degrees of disability, but Hofer was one of the lucky ones. He suffered burns on only 20 percent of his body and will need some skin grafts on his legs, but said he is going to be back at his home in St. George relatively quickly.
“(It's) unbelievable bad luck,” Hofer said. “But maybe it will all turn out for the best.”
Hofer is expected to be released from the hospital by the end of next week.
