Lifeguard Killed by Lightning Strike at Florida Water Park

TAMPA, Fla. -- A 21-year-old lifeguard supervisor at a Florida water park was killed when the ride he was working on was struck by lightning, the Tampa Tribune reported Sunday.

Justin Inversso was working Saturday to get people off of the 700-foot-high Key West Rapids Ride at the Adventure Island water park in Tampa, Fla., because of an oncoming storm when lightning struck the ride at around 11:49 a.m.

Inversso was standing in 2 to 3 feet of water at the time of the lightning strike.

Park employees pulled him from the water and administered CPR before Tampa Fire Rescue workers arrived a few minutes later. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
The Key West Rapids ride was closed Saturday, but the park remained open.

Inversso's father, Frank Inversso, said his son's work as a lifeguard went hand in hand with his work as a Sunday school teacher for teenagers.

"The young man is about preserving lives and preserving souls," Frank Inversso said. "If there's such a place as heaven, he's definitely welcome."