West Melbourne man struck, killed by lightning while boating
Tyler VazquezA West Melbourne man was struck and killed by lightning while boating in the Indian River Sunday evening, according to reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
FWC, along with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Brevard County Fire Rescue, responded to a call near the Pineda Causeway and U.S. Highway 1 after reports that a vessel had been struck by lightning. One passenger onboard suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment while another, 39-year-old Peter Strong, was declared dead by first responders on the scene after attempting lifesaving measures.
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Sunday afternoon was marked by heavy storms and weather warnings from National Weather Service meteorologists in Melbourne. NWS officials also issued several maritime warnings for boaters throughout the afternoon and evening in Brevard County due to the heavy storming along the Space Coast.
The incident is being investigated as a boating accident, according to FWC. No further information was provided as of Monday morning.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez