A Nebraska rodeo athlete and his horse both died after being struck by lightning last month in an exceedingly rare worst case scenario that came to pass.
Terrel Vineyard, 27, was on his horse, Shorty, and checking on cattle in Oshkosh, Nebraska, on the afternoon of 21 June when he and the animal were hit by lightning, according to the Lighting Safety Council.
Emergency responders arrived to find Vineyard and Shorty dead, according to the Garden county attorney’s office, the local news station KNOP reported.
Deadly lightning strikes in the US are unusual. The National Weather Service reported an annual average of 27 deadly lightning strikes from 2009 to 2019, meaning it is one of the least likely ways to die in the country. About 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed while the remaining 90% are left with various degrees of disability, according to the service.
The Lightning Safety Council said Vineyard’s death marks the first lightning-caused fatality for a person in Nebraska this year. The state had not accounted for any lightning-related deaths in the US of 223 reported between 2013 and 2022, the council said.
Two other lightning deaths this year occurred in Texas, two were in Florida, and one was in Pennsylvania, bringing the year’s total so far to six.
A GoFundMe campaign has since been set up to raise money for Vineyard’s family, including his three daughters and wife Stacey, whom he married in February.
According to the campaign’s webpage, Terrel started riding full-time when he was four years old. He rode, calf roped, headed, heeled and ranched various horses over the years.
“Many of you knew his horse Shorty. Terrel and Shorty drove countless miles together over the years. They qualified three times for [the] World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas,” the fundraiser said.
It continued: “A few years after moving back [home], Terrel laid eyes on Stacey and told all his friends, ‘I would marry that girl someday.’ Even before Stacey knew who he was. Stacey and Terrel connected fall of 2020 and began their life together. Terrel stepped in seamlessly as a father figure to Maddie Aubree and Blayke introducing them to the ranch life.
“In 2022, they moved to the old Hartman place a mile down the road from [his parents] Shawn and Nancy. From starting their cattle herd together, getting their three beautiful daughters horseback, and renovating their house, Terrel and Stacey were starting their lives together – and planning to grow old in this place they called home.”
A Facebook post by Stacey Vineyard mourned the loss of her husband, saying, “[On] June 27th, 2023, we laid our husband, son and brother to rest. The community support on that day and all the days before was impeccable. The number of people that attended the service is a reflection of our caring community, family and friends. Thank you to everyone who was able to bring horses. We are very grateful for the extra effort it took to do that.”
