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Motorcyclist Hit by Lightning in Florida Crashes, Dies

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

The Florida Highway Patrol says lightning struck a motorcyclist on the helmet as he drove on an interstate in Florida, causing a crash and his death.

The agency said in a news release that 45-year-old Benjamin Austin Lee of Charlotte, North Carolina, died Sunday afternoon on Interstate 95 near Daytona Beach. Lightning burned his helmet.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Florida troopers say an off-duty Virginia state trooper witnessed the lightning strike and its aftermath.

An investigation continues.

Danielle Prieur covers education in Central Florida.