A 19-year-old man was struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon in Bradenton.
What You Need To Know
- A roofer working in Bradenton was struck by lightning
- Efforts to save the 19-year-old were unsuccessful
- Neighbors say it wasn't raining when he was struck
Manatee County Fire Rescue responded shortly before 3 p.m. to 14816 Skip Jack Loop and pronounced the victim dead at the scene in a residential neighborhood.
“I just heard a huge explosion,” neighbor Neia Conceico said. “It wasn’t even raining.”
The Manatee County Sheriff’s office says the man was working as roofer, when he was struck. His identity has not yet been released.
After calling 911, Conceico says she saw the man lying on the roof. His co-workers were preforming CPR.
“It’s a lot to process … I just wish in that time, I could have done some miracle,” she says.
The Manatee County Sheriffs office will conduct a full investigation. The victim's identity has not yet been released.
The lightning bolt was captured on Klystron 9 radar.
A 19 year old Bradenton man was struck and killed on a roof by lightning from this bolt just before 3 pm. As you can see, it wasn't raining at the time and most of the lightning was well to the east with the parent thunderstorm. #flwx pic.twitter.com/yMheTGodJ6
— Spectrum Bay News 9 Weather (@bn9weather) September 7, 2021
This is the third lightning fatality this year in Florida and the tenth this year in the U.S.
Last year, 17 people across the country were killed by lightning.
Among lightning fatalities nationally, 44% are under the age of 20, and 89% are male.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.