Young Georgia friends both die after being struck by lightning during fishing trip
Joey 'JB' Nelson Jr., 18, and Randall 'Bubba' Martin III, 19, both of Waycross, near the Florida-Georgia border, were found dead next to a car around 10:15pm on Thursday.
The teens, who had recently graduated from Ware County High School, were out on a fishing trip together when severe storms rolled through.
Their families found the bodies after the two failed to return home and they went looking for them, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) said.
Nelson and Martin's car also appeared to be struck by lightning.
Their official cause of death will be determined in an autopsy report performed by the GBI Medical Examiner's Office. GBI is still investigating the incident.
Nelson's family remembered the young man has being 'full of promise' and 'deeply loved by his family, friends, and community.'
'His sudden loss has left an unfillable void in the hearts of all who knew him,' they wrote on a GoFundMe that has garnered $12,000 as of Wednesday morning.
The money will be used to pay for the teen's funeral.
The Martin family started also a GoFundMe for the 19-year-old's funeral.
'He touched the lives of so many in different ways,' the family wrote.
'Keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to move forward throughout these challenging days.'
The fundraiser has garnered nearly $6,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Daily Mail has reached out to the families for comment.
Lightning kills around 20 Americans per year and injures hundreds, according to the National Weather Service.
Around 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground each year in the US, but the odds of being hit by a bolt are less than one in a million, the CDC said.
Almost 90 percent of those struck by a bolt survive, but some can be left with lifelong damage.
If the teens had made it to the car, they may have survived. 'The outer metal shell of hard-topped metal vehicles does provide protection to those inside a vehicle with the windows closed,' the service explains.
If a person is outside the car, the frame and tires will not offer protection.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Heat advisories and warnings issued for Southeast and Midwest as temperatures and humidity soars
It's always hot in the summer in the U.S. Southeast, but even by the standards of Florida and the Carolinas, the steamy heat wave on tap for the region Saturday into the coming week is a little extreme. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for a large swath of the East Coast from central Florida to Virginia through much of the weekend. Highs in the upper 90s F (mid 30s C) were forecast for central Florida, with heat indexes reaching 105 degrees F to 110 degrees F (40.6 C to 43 C). The outlook was similar up through Georgia and the Carolinas into Virginia. Extreme heat warnings were out for much of eastern North Carolina, as far inland as Raleigh, and extending into a corner of South Carolina, including Myrtle Beach. Forecasters warned of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures approaching or exceeding 100 F (38 C) in some areas on Sunday and heat indexes up to 115 F through Sunday evening. 'Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. the weather service advised. "Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Stay cool, stay hydrated, stay informed.' The weather service said several major metropolitan areas in the Southeast — including Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina, Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia — were expected to face an extreme heat risk for several days, with minimal overnight relief. It said over 30 million people would likely be affected at the peak of the heat wave through midweek. A hot, humid weekend was also in store for the Midwest. Extreme heat watches were out for eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and southern Minnesota. Heat indexes were expected to reach 96 F (36 C) on Saturday and go even higher on Sunday in Minnesota. And an extreme heat warning was out for the St. Louis, Missouri, area through Tuesday evening, with highs around 99 F (37 C) and heat indexes around 110 F forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Parts of Iowa were hit by storms Saturday morning that dumped between 2 and 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain in some areas and triggered flash flood warnings.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
One of 10 people killed battling wildfires in Turkey was married just days before
A forestry worker among 10 killed while battling wildfires in Turkey had been married just days before. Turkey's minister of agriculture and forestry İbrahim Yumaklı paid tribute to 'forest hero' Tolunay Kocaman, one of the 10 workers who lost their lives during a forest fire in the city of Eskişehir, in the north west of the country. 'We paid a condolence visit to the precious family of Eskişehir Seyitgazi, our forest hero Tolunay Kocaman who was martyred while fighting to protect our green Homeland,' said Mr Yumaklı. 'May Allah have mercy on our martyr; I wish patience and condolences to his grieving family and loved ones. We will never forget the struggle and sacrifices of our martyrs.' Forestry worker Mr Kocaman, 28, was married on 14 July and returned to duty from his honeymoon three days before he died, according to Turkey's state run news agency. A friend of Mr Kocaman told the agency: 'On the day he was martyred, I took provisions to the fire area in the afternoon. Full moon has arrived to get water supplement. Joyfully out of his vehicle now. Even he said, 'Open up the Full Moon has come.'' Firefighters continue to battle wildfires across Turkey and Cyprus, with new blazes erupting along the Mediterranean coast on Friday, prompting the government to declare two western provinces disaster zones. Firefighters fought 73 blazes on Friday, while forest fires which started in Sakarya, Bilecik and Eskişehir and reached Afyonkarahisar, have been brought under control. Two separate fires, which started in the Safranbolu and Ovacık districts of Karabük, are still ongoing, the minister said, adding: 'We are continuing our response here with two aircraft, 19 helicopters, and our ground vehicles. 'The vastness of the area, its very fractured, rugged terrain, and its fullness of canyons and steep cliffs, will likely present some challenges, but our colleagues have established positions on the ground and are responding. 'As we've mentioned here, occasionally unstable winds may make our work difficult, but God willing, we will overcome them." Mr Yumakli said that Turkey was at war with these fires, describing them as an enemy that does not tire, rest or get hungry. In the midst of the heat, the minister said Turkey broken an all-time temperature record on Friday. Information published by the country's General Directorate of Meteorolgy suggested that temperatures would rise by another 10 degrees, starting Saturday. Mr Yumamli said: 'We are currently facing an enemy not unlike last year's fires or those before, but rather something even more powerful. I want to emphasise this. 'We are fighting such an enemy with two centuries of experience, the Forestry Department, under the coordination of our Governor's Office, all our institutions and organizations, especially AFAD, all our civil society organizations, and our citizens, whose hearts will not allow even a single branch of this homeland to be harmed. 'We will certainly extinguish these fires, just as we have done in the past. Let no one doubt this.' He warned Turkey's citizens: 'Please don't light fires in open spaces. Whatever activity you're doing outdoors, if it's flammable, don't think of it as open space, away from trees and forests. 'Without even realizing it, we could be experiencing what we're experiencing today in Karabük. I wholeheartedly thank all my citizens for their common sense, their support, and their prayers. I wish all my brothers and sisters involved in the firefighting efforts success. May God protect their feet.'
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Two more killed amid raging wildfires in Cyprus and Turkey
Two people have been killed in a huge blaze in Cyprus, bringing the death toll from a series of wildfires on the eastern Mediterranean island and in neighbouring Turkey to 12 amid a brutal heatwave that has pushed temperatures to more than 44C. Police said two charred bodies were found on Thursday in a burnt-out car caught up in the Cyprus blaze, which erupted outside Limassol on Wednesday and, fanned by strong winds, rapidly engulfed a string of mountain villages north of the city. The fires, described as the worst on the island in more than half a century, devastated large tracts of southern Cyprus, injuring dozens of people and displacing hundreds. An estimated 250 firefighters battled to contain blazes raging on multiple fronts. The government spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said the state 'expresses its deep sorrow … over the unjust loss of two of our fellow citizens', adding that what was happening on the island was unprecedented. After appeals for help from the Nicosia government, Greece, Egypt, Israel and the UK, which has an RAF base on the island, said on Thursday they would be weighing in with air support and firefighters, while the EU was sending in water-bombing planes. By midday, nearly 24 hours after it broke out, the infernos had consumed more than 40 square miles of territory, decimating prime agricultural land and dozens of homes in village communities outside Limassol on the Troodos range. Charalambos Theopemptou, the Green MP who chairs the Cypriot parliament's environmental committee, spoke of a 'tragic situation' with blazes fuelled by extreme high temperatures, gale-force winds and a severe drought. Temperatures nudging 44C were forecast to rise further on Friday as a week-long heatwave intensified across southern Europe. 'We haven't seen such devastating fires since the Turkish invasion in 1974,' Theopemptou told the Guardian. 'It's tragic, people have died, 72 houses and 91 cars have been burned, it's absolute chaos.' He said part of the reason for the destruction was that preventive measures had not been taken, including the implementation of a public warning system that an EU directive voted into law in 2022. 'Illegal waste dumps haven't been cleared, [inflammable] vegetation hasn't been removed, basic infrastructure like big cement water tanks and hose pipe points aren't in place, all of which has helped the fires spread,' he added. At least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey, the Turkish agriculture and forestry minister, İbrahim Yumakli, said on Thursday, warning that strong winds and scorching heat were creating 'extremely dangerous' conditions across the country. Ten firefighters were killed on Wednesday battling a fire in the western Eskişehir province, with 14 others injured. The fire subsequently spread to Afyonkarahisar, another central province, where several towns and villages were evacuated. The victims were caught when the flames suddenly changed direction, causing them to be 'burned alive', a local MP said. Turkey has been sweltering since Sunday in temperatures ranging between 6C and 12C above the seasonal norms. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth consecutive day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. 'They couldn't intervene. There is no decent road, forests are thick and it's rocky,' Cemil Karadag, a local resident, said. Karadag told Reuters the fire had 'engulfed our village from two or three sides … The firefighters couldn't intervene … It spread very quickly with the effect of the wind, but, thank God, the centre of our village wasn't damaged that much'. A wildfire erupted in the Black Sea province of Sakarya, forcing the closure of a key motorway and the evacuation of several villages and small towns, and others in Karabuk, home of the Unesco World Heritage City of Safranbolu, and Manisa. Scientists have long warned that burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more likely and more intense.
