On Saturday, a 39-year-old man was loading tools into a van near a mountaintop in Mountain City, Georgia, when the lightning strike occurred, reports the National Lightning Safety Council. It was the first lightning death in over a year, according to FOX Weather.
On Sunday, a 33-year-old was hit by lightning while near the beach at Masonboro Island, North Carolina.
According to FOX News, the man was identified as 33-year-old William Fiend, the husband of One Tree Hill star Bevin Prince. They report he was struck by lightning while boating with friends.
"The unimaginable has happened," Prince's friend, actress Odette Annable, wrote on her Instagram in a tribute to Friend. "The life and love that you gave to my best friend made it feel okay that we were thousands of miles apart. As I sit in your beautiful home, looking out onto the ocean, I keep thinking about what a gift you gave to Bevin. What a gift you gave to everyone who knew you to witness the passion that burned in your soul. The passion to help people, to build your business, to find happiness like I'd never seen from you living in North Carolina with Bevin. You were perfect for her in every way. You supported her dreams, you made her feel seen, you adored her with every bit of your soul and I will forever be grateful to witness that kind of love."
New Hanover County Sheriff's deputies performed CPR on Friend for 20 minutes after he was struck near Masonboro Island, North Carolina. He was pronounced dead in an ambulance on the way to a hospital, according to WECT-TV.
The first lightning fatality of this year occurred in Pico Rivera, California, when a woman was walking her two dogs along a bike path. All three were struck and killed, reports FOX 11.
According to the National Weather Service, in 2021, there were a total of 11 lightning fatalities. In 2020, there were 17.
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