Florida

1 dead, 1 injured after Florida lightning strike

PARKLAND, Fla. — Authorities say a 53-year-old woman has died and a man has been hospitalized after being struck by lightning in Florida.

Watch: Thursday thunderstorms will be severe

The Sun Sentinel reports that the fatal strike occurred Wednesday afternoon at C.W. Hendrix Farms in Parkland.

This is the second lightning death of year in Florida, and the third in the U.S.

Watch: How to protect yourself from lightning

The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department says the man was conscious when he was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The names of the victims weren't immediately released.

So far, this year, there has been two lightning deaths in Florida and one in Texas. The two deaths in Florida were women; one 23 years old in White Springs and a 53-year-old farm worker in Parkland. The man deadly struck by lightning in Honey Island Texas was 22 and he was working on repairing a fence.
On average lightning kills about 28 people each year, with most of deaths occurring in the month of July.
Central Florida is lightning capital of the U.S. Be aware that the 30/30 rule is outdated and can be misleading. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from the base of a storms.
The general rule is that if you hear thunder you are close enough to get struck by it.
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Information from: Sun Sentinel , http://www.sun-sentinel.com/

Associated Press

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