U.S. NEWS

Rodeo athlete and his horse killed in lightning strike in Nebraska

Terrel Vineyard, 27, was a veteran of competitive rodeo. He was checking on cattle when he was struck near Oshkosh, officials said.

June 30, 2023, 10:03 PM EDT
By Dennis Romero and Alex Lo

A rodeo athlete and his horse died this month when the two were struck by lightning in a rural part of Nebraska while the man was checking on cattle, according to officials and a fundraiser.

Terrel Vineyard, 27, was on horseback when he was struck June 21, north of Oshkosh, the Garden County Attorney’s Office said in a statement to NBC affiliate KNOP of North Platte.

Officials arrived after receiving a call about the strike shortly after 2 p.m. and found Vineyard dead, according to the statement. ... An autopsy confirmed Vineyard was struck by lightning, the attorney’s office said.

The National Lightning Safety Council said in a log of fatalities that Vineyard’s was one of six lightning-caused deaths in the United States this year and the only one in Nebraska.

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Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Alex Lo is an assignment editor for NBC News based in New York.

HUMAN INTEREST

Nebraska Rodeo Cowboy and His Horse Killed by Lightning Strike

Terrel Vineyard, 27, was discovered north of Oshkosh, Neb., on June 21

By Michael Lee Simpson | Updated on June 30, 2023 04:32 PM EDT

A lightning bolt fatally struck a pro rodeo cowboy and his horse in Nebraska last week.

Terrel Vineyard, 27, was discovered north of Oshkosh, Neb., on June 21, the Garden County Sheriff’s Office told The North Platte Telegraph. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.

Vineyard’s obituary said that Dose, the horse he rode on, also died during the incident. As a professional calf and team roper, Vineyard had qualified for the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas on three occasions, Newsweek reported.

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