LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- A Central Arkansas man and friends thought they were taking all the precautions before playing a round of golf, however, they underestimated how lightning would come into play.

Raymond Baxter Jr. and his friends had gone to play a round of golf, which was a common occurrence among the friends.

He lived at the time in Atlanta, Georgia for work but was a Little Rock native, where he spent his life playing sports and his three brothers following in his footsteps.

Baxter Jr. and his friends took all the precautions, even checking the radar, seeing a system that was counties away.

But the weather changed rapidly, and the situation shifted quickly.

It began hailing, and the siren alarmed on the golf course. The group started running to the clubhouse, and when they got there, they noticed Baxter Jr. was missing.

“We got a phone call from one of our boys and said that Raymond had been struck by lightning, and we didn’t know the severity of it or anything and Ray just left, he just hauled to Atlanta,” Raymond’s mother Lesa Baxter said.

Having watched it all, the clubhouse called 911 as the boys returned to Baxter Jr.

“He saw those clubs when he ran down there, that’s when he found him under the clubs,” Raymond Baxter Sr. said.

Lesa and Raymond Baxter Sr. were told their son may not live through the night, but he did. Raymond Baxter Jr. survived two days following the incident.

“What he did was amaze them all,” Raymond Baxter Sr. said.

Baxter Jr. was struck by lightning on Sept. 12, 2023, and later died on Sept. 15, 2023.

Raymond Baxter Jr.’s parents are now urging people to take thunderstorms more seriously. They say they have also failed to do so in the past, but not anymore. 

“You know, when you hear thunder and there’s a storm coming, I mean, our boys have all played baseball,” Lesa Baxter said. “We have been out there with lightning, thunder, and hailing, and you just don’t think of that happening.”

According to Meteorologist Carmen Rose, lightning can strike 10 to 15 miles away from the storm, so even if rain isn’t overhead, you could be within striking distance.