Man killed by lightning in Satellite Beach

Second lightning strike victim in stable condition

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – Lightning struck two men, killing one, in Satellite Beach on Friday afternoon, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Brevard County Fire Rescue.

Brevard County Lifeguard Captain Ashley Nolan told News 6 partner Florida Today that she was the first to respond to help the men. The men were hit at SPRA Park in the 400 block of State Road A1A at the end of Berkeley Street.

"I was just heading home and you could see the lightning strikes and how close it was to the beach," Nolan told the newspaper. "I see a gentleman darting directly out into traffic, waving for help. I knew instantly that someone had been struck."

Nolan gave CPR to the man and checked his pulse until paramedics arrived.

"I knew he had been down for less than a minute," she said.

That man, who was identified by the Sheriff's Office as Lamar Rayfield, 35, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died from his injuries at a hospital, Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear announced at 7:45 p.m. The other person struck was being treated at a hospital Friday night, he said. That person was listed in stable condition, the Sheriff's Office said.

Neither of the men were Brevard County residents, Goodyear said.

Florida's rainy season, with its frequent afternoon storms, presents a lightning threat, particularly for beachgoers.

"We try to warn people all the time and try to get people off the beach" when a storm is coming, Nolan said.


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