AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Bee Cave City Council hopes to have a lightning prediction and warning system installed in its Central Park by the beginning of June, according to City Manager Travis Askey.
Alexander Hermann, 9, was at the Lake Travis Youth Association Field of Dreams in Bee Cave when a bolt of lightning from a storm several miles away hit the field last August. An attorney for Alex Hermann’s family says the boy was struck directly in the stomach. He suffered severe burns and doctors believe he has permanent brain damage because he did not get enough oxygen from the time he was knocked out until the CPR process started.
Askey says council approved a Thor Guard system this week after receiving a $10,000 donation from the owners of the new Sonesta Hotel in Bee Cave. The donation will cover most of the cost for the system.
Continuing Coverage: Alex Hermann
The website for Thor Guard calls its products lightning prediction systems. Askey says the one that will be installed in the park will have sirens sound at 120 db with a range of about 35 acres. He says the council authorized spending up to $12,000. Askey says the system’s sirens will cover the key areas where people gather in the 50-acre park.
Council opted for the system with sirens over one that could be integrated with cell phone applications.
In addition to the warning system, a settlement has been reached in the Hermann family’s lawsuit against the Lake Travis Youth Association, according to attorney Adam Loewy. The suit asked for $10 million and argued the youth league did not follow proper weather procedures, including failing to appoint a weather monitor and failing to supply or use a lightning detection system. Loewy did not provide specifics of the settlement.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/after-lightning-strikes-boy-bee-cave-council-okays-warning-system/
