The man, who was 29 years old and ultimately passed away after being struck by lightning on a beach in Volusia County, was on his honeymoon at the time of the tragedy, according to law enforcement officials.
The lightning strike took place on Friday in New Smyrna Beach, close to the 27th Avenue access.
Molly Reed, a community correspondent for News 6, was informed by the Volusia County Beach Safety Director Tammy Malphurs that first responders administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the victim.
According to Malphurs, who made the announcement on Monday, he was rushed to the hospital in severe condition, and he passed away on Saturday.
Officials have stated that the man, who was originally from Colorado, was on his honeymoon at the time of the incident.
In response to the unfortunate death, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood issued the following statement:
A young man who was here on a delayed honeymoon with his wife passed away, and my heart goes out to his family and friends. He should have celebrated many more anniversaries with her throughout the course of the years to come, but he was only 29 years old. On behalf of all of us in Volusia County, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to this young lady. We were holding out hope that the hard efforts of our lifeguards, emergency medical services team, and emergency room staff would be able to bring him back to her.
Although the victim was struck by lightning on Friday near New Smyrna Beach, he was not the only person so struck.
Two golfers were struck by lightning at the Venetian Bay Golf Course at approximately 12:18 p.m., according to the NSB Fire Department, which confirmed the incident.
On Monday, the likelihood of precipitation is lower, hovering around thirty percent; nevertheless, the meteorologists at News 6 indicate that any storms that do form have the potential to bring torrential downpours and frequent lightning strike.
Despite the fact that it is extremely uncommon for someone to be struck by lightning in a storm that is several miles away, Malphurs says that it does occur.
The majority of the time, they move in really quickly, and we are able to see them. Every once in a while, they are kilometers away, and you will see a random bolt of lightning, which is something that does happen. In this particular instance, it occurred on Friday, which is really unusual,” Malphurs said.
It has been quite some time since someone has lost their life as a result of a lightning strike on the beaches of Volusia County, according to Malphurs, who has worked with Volusia Beach Safety for a considerable amount of time.
Malphurs stated, “I’ve seen approximately six or seven people passed away on the beach as a result of lightning strikes.”
In the event that you are on a beach and lightning strikes, you should immediately seek shelter. In the event that there are no structures accessible, move into a vehicle that has a strong metal top and make sure the windows are closed.
Insufficient shelter can be provided by structures such as sheds, pavilions, tents, or covered porches.
Keep your distance from anything that are tall, such as lifeguard stands, light poles, or flag poles, and steer clear of things that are made of metal, such as metal rails, fences, or bleachers.
Malphurs has stated that her organization is keeping an eye on storm systems, and that beachgoers should follow the instructions given by lifeguards.
“We tell them when a storm is coming, we tell them ‘OK, we’re on red light conditions,’ they’ll whistle people out of the water, and they’ll see the lifeguard trucks coming up and down the beach with their lights on,” Malphurs said. “We tell them that we’re on red light conditions.”
