This paddleboard hit Al Sim in the back of the head on July 27 at Sylvan Lake. Luckily, he did more damage to it. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

close call

Sylvan Lake windstorm nearly takes out local man with paddleboard

Aug 3, 2019 | 5:00 PM

A central Alberta man is thanking his lucky stars after almost being severely injured in a windstorm on July 27.

Wind speeds hit 95 km/h at the Red Deer Airport that Saturday and they were strong enough to kick up a paddleboard and nearly knock out Al Sim who was at his residence on Sylvan Lake.

“I was walking across the lawn and the only thing that saved my butt was a blast of sand that went into my face, which made me turn my head,” Sim recalls.

“All of a sudden, the paddleboard came flying up and smacked me in the back of the head. I didn’t see it coming at all and it rocked me pretty good.”

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Sim, whose house is just off Lakeshore Drive, estimates the storm caused him about $70,000 in damages to various items, and that’s not counting the number of boats in the lake that were also damaged. He says he did not suffer concussion.

Luckily, he has video surveillance footage to prove his tale:

“I just got lucky,” he adds. “Had I taken it face first, I don’t know, it would’ve been really bad.”