Lightning strike kills 24-year-old man in Florida
A man was struck and killed by a lightning strike in Florida while he was working on the roof, authorities reported. This is the fourth lightning-related death in the U.S. so far this year, according to the National Lightning Safety Council.
Lightning over an intracoastal waterway in Florida. (Getty Images/Mark Newman)
A 24-year-old man who was working on a roof in Deltona, Florida, was struck by lightning and died Monday, according to officials. This is the fourth lightning fatality this year in the United States.
Edvin J. Velasquez Cinto, a construction worker, was standing on the roof of a house in Deltona, Florida, which is located 25 miles northeast of Orlando, when a lightning bolt struck him and caused him to fall to the concrete below, according to his coworkers who witnessed the event, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office reported.
Deputies responded to the home just before 2 p.m. EDT Monday and transferred Velasquez Cinto to a local hospital. He was pronounced deceased at 2:39 p.m. EDT.
According to the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, scattered showers and thunderstorms were moving through the area Monday afternoon.
"The information gathered at the scene and findings from an examination of the victim’s body are consistent with a lightning strike," the Volusia Sheriff's Office reported. "However, an official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. The sheriff’s office sends its condolences to all family, friends and coworkers."
This is the fourth lightning-related fatality to occur in the U.S. and the second to occur in Florida this year.
The first lightning fatality occurred on April 15 in Chester, Pennsylvania, which is located just south of Philadelphia. A day later, another lightning death occurred in Brevard County, Florida. The third death occurred in Valley Mills, Texas, when a father was struck by lightning while walking his two sons home from the bus stop.
Based on the past 10 years, the U.S. averages three lighting fatalities through May 22, according to data from the National Lightning Safety Council.
Lightning fatalities during work-related activities. (National Lightning Safety Council)
"Florida is the deadliest state for lightning in the U.S., now with 85 lightning deaths since 2006," John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist for the council, said in a press release. "Working on a roof is one of the deadliest work-related activities with respect to lightning."
According to Jensenius, there have been 20 roof-related lightning deaths in the U.S. since 2006. More than half of them have occurred in Florida.
Other deadly work-related activities include farming, ranching, construction and lawn care.
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