Lightning strike kills huntsman

A man and his horse are dead after being struck by lightning at a Dargaville farm yesterday.
Three other riders and a photographer also hit by the bolt were hospitalised as a series of spectacular thunderstorms rolled through Northland yesterday.
The 61-year-old dead man was riding across the brow of a hill with a group of other hunting riders near Dargaville when he was struck on his helmet about 12.30pm.
A team of experienced medical workers, including an advanced paramedic, doctor and three nurses, were part of the 85 strong-field of riders participating in the event as part of the Northland Hunt week and were quick to go to help their fellow equestrian.
St John advanced paramedic and Northland hunt committee member Donna Austin was on her own horse at the time of the tragedy and tried desperately to resuscitate the well-known man from Kaukapapa near Helensville.
"We tried to resuscitate him in the field. We had all the advanced equipment there that we needed and were beside him within minutes of it happening," an extremely upset Ms Austin told the Northern Advocate only hours after the death. "He and his horse were killed instantly."
The man's wife was at the hunt but was not riding. It is believed he is the father of two.
Members of the hunt started their ride across the Hilliam Rd farm, at Mahuta, about midday in heavy rain.
Ms Austin said a decision was made to continue with the ride but shortly after a "spectacular" storm passed through the region.
"A few people had turned back and weren't that keen to ride in it. It just happened that this man and a few others got caught in an elevated position on top of the hill," Ms Austin said.
"He was well known and it definitely rocks your world when it's one of your own."
The man's friend Ivan Bridge, who was riding at the front of the field, said the "freakish" death had rocked the hunting fraternity. "It's traumatic for everyone".
He described his mate as a man for whom the sport was the love of his life.
Two men and two women hit by the same lightning strike were taken to Dargaville Medical Centre by ambulance before being taken to Whangarei Hospital to be treated for electric shock symptoms. They were being kept in hospital for observation and one of the patients, Lionel Unitt, confirmed he had been taking photographs when he was hit on the foot. The three others had been on their horses at the time.
Whangarei Coroner Brandt Shortland said a hearing into the man's death would not be necessary as there was clear evidence that a lightning strike had killed him.
The Coronial Services does not keep statistics on the number of people killed by lightning strikes, but Mr Shortland said it appeared to be a very unusual cause of death in New Zealand.
Police went to the farm but were still trying to contact family members late yesterday before they released the dead man's name.
ACC figures show there have been 12 claims made since 2002 that are related to lightning strikes. However, there were no figures available for deaths as a result of lightning strikes.
Meanwhile, St John Northcomm team manager Allan Rhodes said, during the rough weather, an emergency medical dispatcher talked a bus driver through first aid advice after a call for help for an injured passenger while on 90-Mile Beach.
Fullers general manager Charles Parker would not make any comment about the incident.
* Power cuts for 10,000
About 10,000 electricity users in Northland experienced intermittent power cuts as a result of yesterday's thunder and lightning.
Areas affected included Parua Bay, Ruakaka and Mata in Whangarei, Waipoua Forest down through to Dargaville, Te Kopuru and Ruawai in Kaipara.
Northpower network services manager Calvin Whaley said most of 5000 customers suffered short duration outages, typically a minute or less.
The outages happened between 11.15am and 2pm.
Mr Whaley said at 12.15pm, Northpower's Dargaville sub-station lost communication, which resulted in up to an hour's outage in Dargaville residential area.
Top Energy chief executive Roger de Bray said about 5000 people were affected in Kaitaia and some in Taipa where lightning struck a sub-station's grid.