BILLINGS — A 73-year-old Montana man and lifelong Green Bay Packers fan was among a dozen people who were injured when lightning struck outside Raymond James Stadium after the Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3 on Sunday.
The family of Gary Linse of Billings tells The Billings Gazette that the force of the strike knocked him into the air, causing him to land on his face and lose consciousness.
Linse’s daughter, Rachel, said her father suffered bruises, cuts and a black eye and doesn’t remember attending the game. He remained hospitalized in the intensive care unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa with a Packers-themed Christmas tree in his room.
Linse and his wife, Ruth, were visiting their daughter in Florida for Christmas and the Packers game was to be one of the highlights of the trip. Ruth Linse says they’ll have to take in another Packers game as a family.
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