A truck driver tragically lost his life after being struck by lightning, marking the first such fatality recorded this year.
Peter Garamone, a 41-year-old father and husband, was hit by lightning while walking to his truck outside a Kwik Trip gas station in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, late Wednesday. Witnesses described the lightning strike as the “loudest thunderbolt” they had ever heard, according to CBS58.
Garamone, who was from Pennsylvania and in Wisconsin for a haul, managed to call 911, stating he had been struck. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
A dispatcher, in audio acquired by CBS58, relayed, “Our caller believes he was possibly struck by lightning.”
A bystander also called 911, expressing uncertainty over Garamone’s condition, saying they were “unsure if he was breathing.” Authorities confirmed that the scene showed clear signs of a lightning strike.
By the time emergency responders arrived, Garamone, who drove for JB Hunt, was unresponsive.
He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Beau Snowden, who lives near the gas station, said he could “feel” the bolt go through his entire house.
“It was the loudest thunderbolt we ever heard,” he said. “You got to watch out for these storms. It’s really dangerous.”
Peter leaves behind wife Lisa, 45, and son Peter Jr.
He died just a week after his dad Jim, 72, finished chemotherapy and radiation treatment for two types of esophageal cancer.
“I keep hoping I will wake up and find this is a bad dream, but I know it isn’t,” Jim wrote on Facebook, announcing his son’s death.
“This is a lesson to all of us to hug those we love a bit tighter.”
The trucker’s death has been recorded as the first lightning fatality of the year, according to the National Lightning Safety Council revealed, but a formal cause of death hasn’t been established.
Last year, 21 lightning strike fatalities were reported, according to the database.
The odds of being killed by lightning are around one in 1.5 million – and around 90% of lightning victims survive strikes.
