Local CBS meteorologist Lonnie Quinn is stepping away from his weather duties following a concussion and a subsequent health scare just moments before a recent live broadcast.
The shocking news was announced by Quinn himself on CBS’s Friday night broadcast, where he explained that he would step away for several weeks after suffering the head injury.
“I took a good – I took a wallop on my head and we went to the hospital,” Quinn said, adding that he underwent a CAT scan that came back negative.
The weather professional said that he thought he was on the mend, but things took a turn before a recent live broadcast when he temporarily lost vision in one of his eyes.
“It was right before the 11 o’clock news. I started to walk out here to the set and all of a sudden I couldn’t see out of my left eye,” Quinn said, adding, “And just as quickly as it began, it went away.”
Quinn, 61, said the blindness episode lasted fifteen minutes — but that he did the broadcast that night anyway.
Anchor Kristine Johnson noted that no one on staff was aware that he was experiencing any health troubles during the broadcast that night because Quinn is a “consummate professional.”
He was sent to the hospital directly from the studio that night, again receiving positive results from a CAT scan, adding to the mystery.
Quinn said he eventually met with a neurologist and has decided to take a brief break from the lights, cameras, and action.
He serves as the chief meteorologist for the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on weekdays. Last month, Quinn joined the revamped “CBS Evening News,” where he holds a weather segment each night.
“I know this wasn’t an easy decision but it is what’s best, and everything is gonna be right here, just as you left it when you return,” Johnson told Quinn.
