DELTONA, Fla. – A man working on home construction in Florida was killed after he was struck by lightning and then fell from a roof, according to sheriff’s officials.
The 24-year-old victim was working on framing a home in Deltona Monday afternoon when the thunderstorm moved through the area around 2 p.m., the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
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A lightning bolt hit the victim, which caused him to fall off the roof, officials said. The man was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead soon after.
The victim is the fourth lightning-related death in the U.S. this year and the second in Florida. A 39-year-old man died while fishing in Brevard County in April. Last week, a father was killed by lightning while walking his son to the bus stop in Texas.
Working on a roof is one of the deadliest work-related activities due to lightning, says John Jensenius with the National Lightning Safety Council. Since 2016, there have been 20 lightning-related deaths due to someone working on a roof during thunderstorms – and 11 of them have occurred in Florida, Jensenius says.
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Florida is the most lightning-prone state in the U.S. by density and, in turn, leads the U.S. in lightning-related deaths with 85 since 2006.