At least four people were struck by lightning over a time span of roughly 24 hours on June 19 and 20 as summer thunderstorms pummeled parts of the nation.
A 15-year-old boy survived being struck by lightning in Central Park in New York City on the afternoon of June 19, according to reports by Accuweather and media outlets in the area.
The following day, on June 20, three men experienced jolts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on the state's east-central coast. A 29-year-old Colorado man standing in the ocean in ankle deep water around 12:30 p.m. was critically injured by a lightning strike, according to Tammy Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. A bystander and lifeguards immediately started life-saving measures, but the victim was unresponsive when taken from the scene to a local hospital, authorities said.
Later that afternoon, about eight miles inland, two men on the Venetian Bay golf course were jolted when lightning struck nearby, but neither of them were taken to the hospital, according to WESH 2, a local television station
The lightning injuries occur just as the 25th annual National Lightning Safety Awareness Week kicks off on June 22.
