Port Orange Man Struck By Lightning While Fishing

Posted

lightning storm

Ponce Inlet, FL - A 55-year-old Port Orange man was struck by lightning early Saturday morning while fishing on the North Jetty in Ponce Inlet.

The man was able to call Beach Safety himself around 6:50 AM and when emergency crews made it onto the jetty to treat him he was alert and conscious. He was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach for initial treatment and was later brought to a specialist at an Orlando-area hospital.

The man told 1st-responders that while he was casting his rod the lightning bolt hit his pole. According to Beach Safety, the bolt went through the pole and exited his left rib cage. He was wearing neoprene waders which officials say may have saved his life.

The latest report indicates the man is in stable condition.

Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2016.