Those words were said to Avery assistant baseball coach Daniel Jimenez by his brother after learning that Daniel was the victim of a lightning strike last Friday afternoon at the Avery High School baseball field and suffered only minor injuries.
After the Vikings junior varsity game was called off due to the storms in the immediate area, Coach Jimenez and fellow assistant coach Samuel Phillips were covering the pitcher’s mound with plastic tarp before leaving the field. Contrary to published reports, Jimenez and Phillips were on the field itself in the elements when lightning struck.“I was out trying to cover the mound the plate. Everything looked alright, and then suddenly came together above me. I had finished covering the tarp and said that I would finish it later. As I had started my way off the field, I saw this flash,” Coach Daniel Jimenez said in an interview upon returning to practice this past Monday afternoon. “It was as if I saw what was coming down out of the sky and I said “It’s time to go”. I started running off the field and was between the mound and the dugout, and it was like somebody came behind and hit me in my neck and shoulder with a shovel or a baseball bat. It was like it was chasing me, and when it hit me everything went black.”
The jolt stunned Jimenez and briefly rendered him unconscious. Luckily for Coach Jimenez, he had help off the field.
“I was out, and the next thing I knew Coach Phillips had me. I saw his face, and the next thing I know I was sitting in the dugout,” Jimenez added.
“We were sprinting off the field, and when I saw Daniel it looked like he had been shot by a rifle. His shoulder cocked back, and I screamed and took off after him. I caught him as he was falling to the ground and helped him over to a chair in the dugout,” fellow assistant Samuel Phillips recalled about the incident. “I asked him if he thought he’d been hit by lightning and he said he thought he had. I didn’t have a cell phone with me since we had just finished a game and was still in uniform. I knew Daniel was hurt by looking in his eyes, so I ran to the field house and asked Coach Wellborn to call 911.”
In short fashion rescue personnel were on the scene to attend to Jimenez, who remained alert and responsive. Jimenez exhibited no external damage such as burn marks but was transported to Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville where he spent several hours undergoing a series of tests to determine whether he had internal injuries from the strike.
“The doctor said it must have hit somewhere in the woods or near the fence and that it must have been indirect because any direct hit would have left a burn mark. They did blood and urine tests to make sure my organs were not damaged by the strike,” the coach explained. “My wife decided to take me to her place and the doctor agreed to allow it as long as the tests came back okay. They did, so I was discharged around 11 or 12 p.m.”
In the days following the incident, Coach Jimenez shared that he feels a few physical symptoms from the strike.
“I’ve had no energy. I’ll feel good, but when I start doing something my energy goes quickly. I’m really tired. I’m sore up in my neck, jaw, ears, down my shoulder and arm,” Jimenez elaborated. “It feels kind of like everything’s in slow motion. My speech is a little slurred at times, but mainly everything just seems far away. Basically when I start trying to do a lot, it catches up to me.”
A throng of supporters and well-wishers, including the Avery coaches, a number of school administrators, players, and parents, came and stayed at the hospital in support of Coach Jimenez. Their presence and concern were a source of comfort.
“That really touched my heart. I’m pretty much here by myself as my wife and I are separated. Even with them here, my family is back where I came from,” Coach Jimenez explained. “I really want to thank the first responders, Sammy Phillips for getting me off the field to safety and keeping me alert. I appreciate the ambulance drivers, paramedics, and everybody at the hospital, plus folks like Edwina and Junior Sluder for coming over in support. Having them over there meant a lot to me. Most folks waited for hours, and I want to be sure to tell them from the bottom of my heart what that meant to me. Seeing so many folks there was wonderful and really helped me out to know that I’m not just a ghost here in town. It made me feel good.”
Both Coach Jimenez and Coach Phillips are fully aware and appreciative they nothing more serious occurred, considering the circumstances.
“Luckily Coach Jimenez is here with us today, the sun is shining, and we’re playing baseball, which thankfully is what matters,” Coach Phillips stated. “He’s very fortunate and a miracle walking.”
“I feel really fortunate. When it hit me I thought I was done,” Coach Jimenez added. “A split-second later everything just disappeared, and when I focused my eyes there was Coach Phillips. One thing I was happy about and remembered caring about was “If I didn’t wake up on Saturday, as least we beat Hendersonville.” It almost made it worthwhile knowing we beat them.”
Spoken like a true coach.
