BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — One person was killed and another was injured Friday when they were struck by lightning in Satellite Beach on Friday, Brevard County Sheriff's Office officials said.
It happened on the beach near the 500 block Highway A1A just after 5 p.m., officials said..
Lightning: What you need to know
The two men were from out of the area, the Sheriff's Office said.
Patrick Collins said he didn't see the lightning hit the men, but saw the flash.
"I looked onto the beach to see if it hit anything out there and I saw a man lying down and another man went up to him, leaned over and then ran away panicked," he said.
Pat Dalton was also one of the first people on the beach after the lightning hit and said he spent 10 minutes giving CPR to one of the victims until emergency workers arrived.
A lifeguard was already performing CPR when he got there and Dalton took over.
"(I) relieved her to do CPR and I stuck on him until the fire rescue showed up," he said.
Dalton said he often surfs in the area, even when it's storming. That is not something he planned on doing in the future.
"I never worried about it until now, and there's no way in hell I'm ever going to be out like this," he said. "I just told my son, 'Next time lightning ever comes near you on the beach, just get out."
Less than three hours after the lightning hit, one of the victims, later identified as Lamar Rayfield, 35, of Philadelphia, died at the hospital, deputies said.
The second victim was still receiving treatment but was in stable condition, officials said.
Ten people have died from a lightning strike this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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