Jet Skier Killed By Lightning Strike Near Fort De Soto: Reports

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A man died after being struck by lightning while riding a jet ski near Fort De Soto Park Saturday evening, multiple reports said.

Deputies responded to the area shortly after 6:30 p.m. reports that a jet skier had been struck by lightning, Tampa Bay 28 said.

The man, identified as Steve Matheson, visiting from Utah, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, and he later died there, WFLA reported.

A GoFundMe fundraiser organized for Matheson’s family by a friend described him as “a wonderful man, devoted husband, and loving father.”

Also Read: FL Mother, 2-Year-Old Daughter Killed In Lightning Strike

He and his wife had four children, and “his family was his greatest joy, and he cherished every moment he was able to spend with them,” the friend wrote on GoFundMe. “He was the kind of husband and father who loved deeply, showed up fully, and made his family the center of his world.”

Matheson’s death comes a week after a 31-year-old mother and her 2-year-old daughter were struck and killed by lightning in Margate, Patch previously reported.

So far this year, there have been 13 deaths from lightning strikes in the U.S., according to the National Lightning Safety Council.

Five of these deaths were in Florida, including an 18-year-old man struck while kayaking in Santa Rosa County on May 31 and a 51-year-old man struck while in the water at Fort Myers Beach over the July 4 holiday weekend, in addition to Matheson and the mother and daughter in South Florida.

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