Lightning — Lee, Florida

2015-05-13 · near Bonita Spgs, Lee, Florida

Event narrative

Two men working on a roof were struck by lightning. They stopped working when it began to rain but returned shortly after the rain had stopped. Neighbors said that the lightning strike hit a roofer directly in the head ' knocking him unconscious. That bolt then transferred to another worker who was just steps away. They were transferred to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries. The man who was struck directly died from his injuries three days later.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms quickly developed across southwest Florida during the afternoon hours. Numerous lightning strikes were observed with these storms, one of which produced a lightning strike which killed one roof worker while injuring another.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (26.3516, -81.7612)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 566445. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.