Steve Matheson Utah dad of four killed by ‘freak’ lightning strike jet skiing in Fort De Soto Park, Petersburg, Florida. Tragedy marks the third fatality in a week in the state to the weather phenomenon amid quick developing summer storms.
What were the odds? A Utah father of four holidaying with his family in Florida has died after being struck by a ‘freak’ lightning strike while jet-skiing.
Steve Matheson, 47, of Saratoga Springs was struck by a bolt off the coast in Fort De Soto Park, Petersburg, around 6.30pm on Saturday.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Matheson was taken to the hospital, where he later died, FOX13 reported.
Summer storm in Florida leads to tragedy
‘It’s usually the first lightning strikes that tend to be the most dangerous because people may not be aware what’s coming even if the sky is starting to look dark and threatening,’ said Robert Molleda, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
‘The storms in the summer develop very quickly. That first rumble of thunder might be too late,’ Molleda told USA TODAY.
A GoFundMe page shared by friends of the Matheson family said Steve was a ‘wonderful man, devoted husband, and loving father.’
According to the page, which hopes to help the family return his body to Utah, Matheson left behind a wife, Abbie, and four young children.
‘He was the kind of husband and father who loved deeply, showed up fully, and made his family the center of his world,’ the page said. ‘Second place to that would be his love for football, especially BYU football.’
Freak lightning strike marks 3rd fatality in Florida in less than a week
The tragedy marks the third deadly lightning strike in Florida in less than a week and the 13th lightning death in the US this year across multiple states.
The most recent incident included that of Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her two-year-old daughter who were found lying on the sidewalk after being struck down in Margate city, Florida on August 23.
Her husband Kameron who witnessed the ordeal said he was sitting in the car with their other daughter when he saw his wife hit by a flash of light.
What are the odds of being struck and killed by a lightning strike in the U.S?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida has famously been known as the ‘lightning capital’ as it has recorded over 2,000 related injuries over the past 50 years.
Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths with 100 reported from 2006 through 2025, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Texas had the second highest number of fatalities at 44, followed by Colorado’s 27.
Although about 37 million bolts hit the ground in the US each year, the odds of being struck are less than one in a million. Victim data has shown that only 10 percent of such incidents are fatal.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research has found that the top three activities that lead to lightning-related deaths are boating, fishing and camping.
While lightning is not attracted to any specific material — a persistent myth is that it seeks out metal — it is more likely to strike taller objects, making someone in a field, on a boat or beach, repairing a roof or on an open highway more exposed.
Related posts:
