Over the weekend there was a tragic incident in Seaside Park, N.J., where a man lost his life when he was struck by lightning while trying to warn beachgoers about an approaching storm.
Patrick Dispoto, 59 was found unconscious Sunday, June 23 on J Street Beach around 7:40 p.m. and was taken to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to News 12 New Jersey.
His girlfriend, Ruth Fussell, shared that he had taken her to safety in his truck and then went back to the shore to warn a group of kids about the incoming storm.
An autopsy conducted Tuesday confirmed that Dispoto died an accidental death caused by lightning, News 12 New Jersey reports. Sgt. Andrew Casole of the Seaside Park police also confirmed that the cause of death was indeed a lightning strike.
Patrick Dispoto/Facebook
Lifeguards were not on duty at that time, and shortly after Dispoto returned to the shore, the storm with thunder and lightning hit the area.
Dispoto was found unresponsive, and although CPR was attempted immediately, he was pronounced dead just before 9:00 p.m.
Lifeguard captain Jim Rankin emphasized the importance of staying ahead of a storm and highlighted the dangers of being on the beach during a thunderstorm.
New Jersey 101.5 chief meteorologist Dan Zarrow also stressed the potential danger of thunderstorms and offered advice on staying safe, including the warning that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.
"Lightning is always looking for the easiest path from cloud-to-ground," Zarrow said, adding, "On a wide open beach — with no trees, buildings, or structures around — a person can often be the most effective conductor around."
"By definition, every thunderstorm contains lightning. Therefore, every thunderstorm is potentially dangerous," Zarrow said.
"If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning,” Zarrow said, adding one key safety tip: “When thunder roars, head indoors."
According to the National Weather Service, lightning is a significant risk, with approximately 86 people dying each year across the U.S. due to lightning strikes. They also shared that the average person has a one-in-600,000 chance of being struck by lightning during their lifetime, with fatal incidents often occurring during activities such as swimming, hiking, or playing golf.
“In the event of a thunderstorm, the beach is a very dangerous place to be. So if you feel things like a wind shift, if it’s fluttering back and forth between hot and cold, you see the clouds, you hear little rumbles of thunder — those are signs to get off the beach,” Rankin said.
The town of Seaside Park is in the process of updating its lightning detection systems, as the new sensors are not yet operational, according to reports.
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