Latest news with #WESH2
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Climate
- USA Today
People keep being struck by lightning: 4 reports in about 24 hours
The lightning injuries occur just as the 25th annual National Lightning Safety Awareness Week kicks off on June 22. 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 local hospital, authorities said. Later that afternoon, about eight 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 U.S. this year. The leading cause of lightning deaths is fishing, and it's already responsible for two lightning deaths this year, USA TODAY previously reported. Lightning strikes on golf courses are tied with yard work for 11th place on the list of activities responsible for the most lightning deaths, Jensenius said. 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: Where can you shelter if caught outside? Learn more about lightning: Contributing: Patricio G. Balona and Sheldon Gardner, Daytona Beach News-Journal, USA TODAY Network, and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Jeep Runs Over Sunbather On Florida Beach
Read the full story on The Auto Wire Sunbathing on beaches is dangerous thanks to Jeep drivers who apparently don't look out for people enjoying the warm weather. That's a painful lesson a 33-year-old man learned on the morning of April 5 as he was laying on the sand at Ormond Beach when an unaware Jeep Wrangler driver just rolled right over to a release from Volusia Sheriff's Office, the 61-year-old female driver 'traveled outside of the travel lanes to back into a parking spot' then ran over the sunbather. Why the Jeep driver decided to go outside the designated area is up for debate, but we think it has something to do with why Wrangler owners like to park on piled up snow in parking lots: because they can. That careless action, and the failure to see the man lying on the beach, resulted in serious injuries for the 33-year-old. While he's lucky to be alive, local news station WESH 2 reports the guy has two breaks in his forearm, a broken femur, scratched eye, and bruising. He's currently in the hospital recovering after doctors put a titanium rod in his broken leg. We wouldn't be surprised if this incident results in a lawsuit or two. But of all the things to be upset about, the man's aunt seems to be focused on the actions of the EMS vehicle that arrived on the scene to assist her nephew. She told WESH 2 the splint to stabilize one of the broken bones didn't work. She also claims the EMS vehicle was stuck in the sand repeatedly, delaying its response to the emergency situation. One would think being in a beach community and at least sometimes having to drive on sand the vehicle and driver would be ready for just that situation. Apparently, one would be wrong assuming that. So far, the sheriff's office says the Jeep driver has been charged with careless driving. However, an investigation is ongoing, so she might be facing additional charges. Do you think it's time to ban Jeeps from driving on beaches? Image via CollinRugg/X Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
USA Today
10-02-2025
- USA Today
Woman stable after 84-year-old in truck runs over her head on Florida beach
Woman stable after 84-year-old in truck runs over her head on Florida beach A 71-year-old woman sitting in a beach chair on Daytona Beach in Florida survived and is in stable after a truck ran over her head. The elderly victim from New York was sitting in a beach chair behind a vehicle near the Silver Beach Avenue beach ramp around 2:43 p.m. on Feb. 5 "when a Chevrolet Colorado parked next to her pulled out of its parking spot" and the driver "made an immediate right turn toward the beach exit," the Volusa County's Sheriff's Office said in a Feb. 6 news release. Police said the driver, an 84-year-old woman, did not see the woman in her chair and "struck her with the truck's right rear tire, which then ran over her head." "She said she was not aware she struck anyone until she was chased down by a witness," police said in the news release, adding she then remained on scene and fully cooperated with authorities. 'They ran over her head' Citing a 911 call, local media outlet WESH 2 reported the victim's husband alerted authorities about the incident. "Hurry up. They ran over her head," a man can be heard saying on the call. "She's talking but she's not alright." Authorities said the beachgoer was taken to a local hospital with head injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening, and she was said to be in stable condition "despite the extreme danger posed by the incident." An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the news release said. In an email to USA TODAY Monday, the Volusa County's Sheriff's Office said it does not have any "updates to report at this point." Police did not identify the driver. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
