Stories beginning with "an Irish lawyer and two doctors" often have a funny punch line a few seconds later. This one doesn't.

The BBC is reporting that John Thompson, a lawyer from Northern Ireland, was critically injured aboard his Oyster 41 Avocet during the ARC Rally after the boom hit him in the head. Mr. Thompson was transferred from the sailboat to a cruise ship with two doctors aboard. He was then taken ashore at Barbados.

"He suffered a serious head injury to the left hand side of his face after being hit by the boom when a storm blew up as they neared St Lucia on Friday," the BBC reports here. Latest news says that Thompson has been moved out of intensive care and is now stable.

Remember, folks: It's called a boom for a reason. And getting hit by it is no joke.