Riverside officer injured by lightning in Joplin

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A Riverside police officer is recovering from a near-lightning strike suffered while he was helping out with the Joplin tornado aftermath.

The unidentified officer was being treated at a Joplin-area hospital for burns and other injuries after the strike around 5 p.m. Monday. Riverside police spokesman Sgt. Brent Holland says the officer had just driven a fire commander back to a command post and was standing next to an all-terrain vehicle when the lightning struck near him.

The man was among a dozen Riverside workers in Joplin to help out.