People keep being struck by lightning: 4 reports in about 24 hours

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At least four people were struck by lightning over a time span of roughly 24 hours on June 19 and 20 as summer thunderstorms pummeled parts of the nation.

A 15-year-old boy survived being struck by lightning in Central Park in New York City on the afternoon of June 19, according to reports by Accuweather and media outlets in the area.

The following day, on June 20, three men experienced jolts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on the state's east-central coast. A 29-year-old Colorado man standing in the ocean in ankle deep water around 12:30 p.m. was critically injured by a lightning strike, according to Tammy Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. A bystander and lifeguards immediately started life-saving measures, but the victim was unresponsive when taken from the scene to a hospital, authorities said.

Later that afternoon, about 8 miles inland, two men on the Venetian Bay golf course were jolted when lightning struck nearby, but neither of them were taken to the hospital, according to WESH 2, a local television station

The lightning injuries occur just as the 25th annual National Lightning Safety Awareness Week kicks off on June 22.

“It’s a good time to remember the dangers that exist,” said John Jensenius, lightning specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council.

“We are about to enter the peak of the lightning season across the U.S.,” Jensenius said. “With the increased lightning activity and the increase in people enjoying outdoor activities, we typically see an increase in lightning fatalities from late June through August."

On June 8, Spencer Loalbo, a 41-year-old father of three and his father were golfing in Gunter, Texas, when they were hit by a single bolt from a single storm cloud, authorities said, according to NBC 5 in Dallas. Loalbo was killed in the "blink of an eye" stated a Go Fund Me fundraiser set up for his wife and daughters. His father was critically injured and taken to a hospital.

Spencer Loalbo’s death was the third lightning fatality in the United States this year.

Golf has contributed to about 3% of lightning death since 2006, according to data compiled by Jensenius.

Fishing contributes to more lightning deaths than any other activity, and it's already led to two lightning deaths this year, Paste BN previously reported.

Forty-two lightning deaths have been reported in Texas since 2006, second only to Florida, where 93 deaths have been attributed to lightning over the same time span.  

Several hundred people are injured by lightning each year. Most survive, but many have lifelong neurological symptoms.

If you're going to be outside, it's important to remain alert for changing weather conditions, according to the Safety Council and National Weather Service. Plan in advance where you would seek shelter, and if you hear thunder, go indoors.

How do people get struck by lightning?

In one of four ways:

• Direct strike: The person becomes a part of the main discharge channel, usually when outside in an open area.
• Side flash: Lightning strikes a tall object and part of the current jumps from the object to the victim − for example, when a person is struck while standing under a tree.
• Ground current: Lightning enters the body at the point closest to a strike, travels through the body and leaves at the contact point farthest away from the initial strike. This causes most deaths and injuries.
• Conduction: This is the cause of most indoor lightning deaths and injuries. Lightning travels through wires and other metal surfaces.

Where can you shelter if caught outside?

• Choose the closest large, enclosed space with plumbing and electrical wiring.
• Don’t shelter in unprotected open buildings, such as metal sheds, picnic pavilions, baseball dugouts and porches.
• If a shelter isn't available, keep moving to search for a safe place. Don’t lie down or crouch on the ground. Avoid trees, light poles, metal fences and bleachers.
• A fully enclosed car or truck can be an option of last resort, but don’t touch the steering wheel, radio or ignition.

Learn more about lightning

• Which states get the most lightning?

• See lightning from space

• See a bolt of lightning strike at the JR Motorsports headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Contributing: Patricio G. Balona and Sheldon Gardner, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Paste BN Network, and Doyle Rice, Paste BN.