Lightning strike in Florida injures 2, leaves 1 critical at Clearwater Beach
'Both were trying to leave the beach as the weather deteriorated,' officials said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two men were injured, one critically, after a lightning strike at Clearwater Beach in Florida on Sunday afternoon, according to officials.
The Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department said the incident happened around 2:15 p.m. on the north part of Clearwater Beach, about halfway between the waterline and dunes.
"Both were trying to leave the beach as the weather deteriorated when the strike occurred," the Clearwater Police Department tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LIGHTNING SAFETY: THESE ARE THE ACTIVITIES LINKED TO THE MOST DEATHS
Fire officials told FOX13 a 37-year-old man was unconscious and not breathing when he was approached by a Clearwater police officer who began CPR until the lifeguard arrived and took over medical treatment.
Two men were injured, one critically, after a lightning strike at Clearwater Beach in Florida on Sunday afternoon, according to officials. (iStock)
Rescue crews then arrived and began treating the 37-year-old victim, who was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The second victim, a 43-year-old man, was a few feet away from the first victim when the lightning strike happened. He was also taken to an area hospital and was listed in stable condition.
Paul Dellegatto, the chief meteorologist at FOX13 in Tampa, said the thunderstorm "popped up quickly" on Sunday afternoon.
Police said the incident showed that it is always important to "keep an eye to the sky" during the summer months.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And as our friends at @NWSTampaBay (National Weather Service Tampa Bay) say, when thunder roars, head indoors," police tweeted.
THIS STATE IS THE 'LIGHTNING CAPITAL' OF THE US
The state of Florida has the greatest number of lightning deaths, with 47 lightning fatalities recorded from 2010 to 2019.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Between 2006 and 2019, a review of some 418 fatal lightning strikes found that 62 percent of deaths were linked to leisure activities.
A breakdown of lightning fatalities by activity from 2006 through 2019. (Courtesy Lightning Safety Council)
Fishing has accounted for 40 of those deaths, while being at the beach, camping, and farming or ranching make up the largest portion of deaths, according to data reviewed by the National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC).
John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC), told Fox News last month there's a pattern to most of those.
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Activities where people may be outside and not know if a storm is approaching when they are camping or fishing because they are using a motor on a boat that drowns out the sound of thunder are factors to consider.
If someone is at the beach, the sound of the surf may also drown out the distant rumbles of thunder.
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"The key is if there's any threat at all, rumble of thunder or what looks like a threatening sky, you need to be able to get into a safe place very quickly," he said.