Benjamin Austin Lee identified as the motorcyclist who died after a lightning bolt struck his helmet as he rode south on Florida’s I-95 Highway.
The Florida motorcyclist who died Sunday after being struck by lightning bolt strike while riding on the highway has been identified.
Benjamin Austin Lee, 45, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was riding south on I-95 just north of Daytona Beach in Volusia County on Sunday afternoon when a lightning bolt struck his helmet, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
The agency said an off-duty Virginia state trooper saw the bolt strike Lee, who veered off the road and crashed before his death, according to WFTS.
The highway patrol tweeted out a photo of the victim’s burned and cracked helmet Sunday evening.
‘This is what’s left of a 45-year-old man’s helmet after he was struck by lightning, while riding his motorcycle southbound, on I-95 in Volusia County this afternoon. Unfortunately he did not survive the crash,’ the agency tweeted.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding page was launched in Lee’s memory.
‘To anyone who knew him, knew Austin was an amazing person,’ the page read.
‘He was adventurous and could not wait to “See the World”.
‘He was a generous, kind, hard-working man that had an infectious personality and was just someone that you couldn’t help but want to be around!
‘He would share everything he had with you – his time, his possessions, his love, and his support.
‘Heaven has truly gained an Angel!’
This is what’s left of a 45 year old man’s helmet after he was struck by lightning, while riding his motorcycle southbound, on I-95 in Volusia County this afternoon. Unfortunately he did not survive the crash. pic.twitter.com/uFklUPY8r1
— FHP Orlando (@FHPOrlando) June 9, 2019
