Whether you consider yourself lucky or unlucky, in life you’re inevitably left to play the hand of cards you’re dealt. But what if your hand included four strikes of lightning? That was indeed the case for Walter Summerford, who was hit by lightning three separate times–and once more after he was laid to rest.
无论你认为自己是幸运还是不幸，既然事情发生了，就只能继续生活下去。不过，被雷劈中四次也太不幸了吧。这就是Walter Summerford的遭遇，他总共被雷劈过四次——生前三次，死后一次。
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are estimated to be 1 in 13,000. A bolt of lightning surging through your body can reach up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is roughly five times hotter than the sun’s surface. Luckily, the mortality rate from a lightning strike is relatively low, but the majority of survivors are left with profound cardiovascular and neurological complications.
根据“美国国家剧烈风暴实验室”的估计，人在一生中被雷劈中的概率大约是1/13000。要知道，闪电的温度可达2.8万摄氏度，这大约是太阳表面温度的五倍。幸运的是，这种情况的死亡率相对较低，但大多数幸存者都留下了严重的心血管和神经系统并发症。
Major Walter Summerford was a British officer who went to battle in the First World War. In 1918, during a time when most soldiers were attempting to dodge bullets, one soldier was hit with a shocking surprise. Walter was galloping on his horse through a field in Belgium when lightning first struck him. Upon impact, he was flung off of his horse and left paralyzed from the waist down.
Walter Summerford是一位英国少校，曾经参加第一次世界大战。1918年的某天，他在比利时的野外骑马疾驰时，第一次被闪电击中。在冲击力的作用下，他从马背上跌落，从此腰部以下瘫痪。
Forced into early retirement, Walter started a new life in Vancouver, Canada. He had been an avid sportsman and was engaged in many of the wondrous outdoor activities his new home had to offer. In 1924 Walter set off to fish along the shore of a local river. Little did he know, he was resting under the wrong tree at the wrong time. Without warning, a lightning bolt struck the tree Walter was under and surged through him, which resulted in the entire right side of his body being paralyzed.
于是，他被迫提早退役。退役后，他在加拿大温哥华开始了新的生活。他热爱运动，经常参与各种户外活动。1924年的某天，他在河岸边钓鱼。当时，他并不知道自己在错误的时间里待在一棵错误的树下。在毫无预兆的情况下，闪电击中了那棵树，也击中了他，造成右侧身体全部瘫痪。
Miraculously, he recovered from the second bout of Mother Nature’s electric slashing and regained the use of his legs. After two years, he was able to walk and spent the majority of his time doing so.
后来，他奇迹般地从第二次雷劈中恢复了过来。两年后，他的双腿能够走路了。
On a warm summer day in 1930, Walter decided to take a scenic stroll through a park. As fate would have it, this would be his last. The soft summer sky drew in dark, ominous clouds that rumbled with a sound all too familiar for Walter. For the third time in his life, a lightning bolt charged down from the sky, directly hitting him with so much force he was completely paralyzed.
1930年，在一个温暖的夏日里，Walter决定去公园散步。后来，天色变暗了，不吉利的云层响起了熟悉的隆隆声。闪电再次直接击中他，致使他全身瘫痪。
In an unfortunate two-year struggle due to the complications caused by his last lightning accident, Walter passed away in 1932. Surrounded by family and friends as they mourned his death, he was laid to rest in the Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. While one might assume he was finally at peace, think again.
这回，他终于没能躲过命运的玩弄和死神的攻击。他和并发症斗争了两年，于1932年逝世。在亲朋好友的环绕下，他下葬在温哥华的山景墓园。人们以为，他终于可以安息了。
On a crisp Spring night in 1936, another storm would prove to defy the already outrageous odds. While Walter rested underground in his grave, four years after his death, another lightning strike would come hurtling from the skies. Out of all the places it could hit–it was right through his gravestone.
1936年，在一个春天的夜晚，闪电偏偏又击中了他的坟墓。也就是说，在1918-1936年期间，Walter Summerford每隔六年就被闪电击中一次。他应该算得上是有史以来最倒霉的家伙之一了。
