Lightning Strikes Diver In Water, Deerfield Bch., FL

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Lightning kills diver off Deerfield as thunderstorms roar through

By Ken Kaye | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
July 23, 2007


A 36-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning while diving in the Atlantic Ocean off Deerfield Beach on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The incident took place during an afternoon of severe thunderstorms that pelted the region, from Miami to West Palm Beach, with torrential rains, strong winds and pea-sized hail.

At the time of the strike, about 3 p.m., two divers were on a 20-foot boat and two were in the water, said Deerfield Beach Fire Division Chief Gary Fernaays.When one of the divers in the water surfaced, "lighting struck his tank," Fernaays said. "He was approximately 30 feet from the boat at the time."


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The man, whose name was not immediately released, went under water as the other divers attempted to rescue him. It took about 10 minutes for them to get the victim into the boat, Fernaays said. During that time, they radioed for help. Then they drove the boat toward shore and beached it in the 600 block of North Ocean Boulevard, where Deerfield Fire-Rescue already was waiting, Fernaays said.

The victim, who had gone into cardiac arrest, was given CPR. He was taken to North Broward Medical Center in Pompano Beach, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

In Margate, lightning also struck a two-story house in the 3000 block of Green Turtle Place, leaving a hole in the roof about 3 feet in diameter and setting a second-floor bedroom on fire, Police Sgt. Andy Zettek said. There were no injuries, as no one was home. The blaze left the home uninhabitable, he said.

The reason squally weather hit so hard on Sunday: Two lines of thunderstorms converged on South Florida from two different directions, said meteorologist Dan Gregoria of the National Weather Service, in Miami.

"Storms developed along the Atlantic coast and started to move inland," he said. "Other storms developed out over the Everglades and moved into the metro areas as well."

East-central Broward County was hit hardest, receiving about 2 to 3 inches of rain, Gregoria said. The weather service issued an urban flood advisory, though no serious flooding was reported on Sunday, other than puddles in streets and low-lying areas.

In Palm Beach County, the metro areas received between .25 and .6 inches of rain, although about 2 inches fell right at the county line, said weather service meteorologist Barry Baxter.

A tornado was reported at about 3:10 p.m. in the 2100 block of Northwest 29th Court in Oakland Park, but officials couldn't confirm that a twister actually touched down.

Even so, the weather in that area was "really bad," said Richard Tingley, a Broward Sheriff's Office communications operator who lives near there.

"There was a lot of rain and wind," he said. "You couldn't even see the car in front of you."

Today's forecast: a 60 percent chance of more showers and thunderstorms.

Staff Writer Alva James-Johnson contributed to this report.

Ken Kaye can be reached at kkaye@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7911.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...,7542713.story