Florida motorcyclist gets hit by lightning and dies in crash
A motorcyclist died in Florida after he was struck by lightning and crashed on a major highway, authorities said.
The 45-year-old man was riding his motorcycle southbound on Interstate 95 in east-central Florida's Volusia County on Sunday afternoon when a lightning strike hit his helmet, causing him to veer off the roadway and crash. He didn't survive, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
An off-duty Virginia State Police trooper reportedly witnessed the lightning strike and the resulting crash, authorities told Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV.
The Florida Highway Patrol posted an image on social media showing the remnants of the man's helmet.
The odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 13,000, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory.
Nine out of every 10 people in the United States who are struck survive, according to a 2016 study presented at the International Lightning Detection Conference and International Lightning Meteorology Conference.
However, lightning strikes can leave a person with many long-term health problems, including muscle soreness, headaches, cognitive problems and nausea.
Direct lightning strikes are rare.
