A newlywed couple's honeymoon took a devastating turn after the husband was killed in a freak lightening strike on a beach in Florid...
A newlywed couple's honeymoon took a devastating turn after the husband was killed in a freak lightening strike on a beach in Florida.
Colorado resident Jake Rosencranz, 29, was dipping his feet in the ocean on Friday around 12:30pm at New Smyrna Beach when he was hit with a lethal bolt of electricity.
On a delayed trip to celebrate their marriage, Rosencrantz and his wife Leah set out to enjoy a day at the beach. Locals said that the sky on June 20 was clear and sunny, despite bad weather further inland.
Rosencrantz was only standing in ankle-deep water when the freak tragedy occurred and he collapsed in the water.
Volusia County Beach Safety said he was hit by a 'blue sky lightning strike,' which can occur during seemingly clear weather. Despite the conditions, officials said lightning strikes can happen as far as 20 miles from the edge of a storm.
According to local outlets, the edge of this particular storm was only four miles away. One witness told local news: 'It was the most crackling, electrical hit you could imagine. I mean like fierce.'
Witnesses said that they heard cries for help and saw bystanders rushed to pull him out of the water, as soon as it happened. A nearby nurse was the first to start CPR while a lifeguard several feet away was notified about the incident.
A witness told local affiliates: 'You could tell it was bad cause they started chest compressions immediately.'
Once local first responders arrived, Rosencranz was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Tamra Malphurs, the Director of Volusia County Beach Safety confirmed to Daily Mail that he later died from his injuries.
She said: 'On Friday June 20 A 29-year-old man from Colorado was struck by lightning shortly before 12:30 PM while standing in ankle-deep water in New Smyrna Beach.
'CPR was immediately initiated, and we performed life-saving measures. He was transported from the scene unresponsive, and he sadly lost his life from the injuries he sustained.'
Rosencranz's social media showed that he and his blushing bride Leah tied the knot in front of their family and friends in the summer of 2023.
The couple had been together for years before that - often sharing sweet snaps from their vacations and trips together. They lived in a high-rise apartment in Denver's Washington Park neighborhood after they married.
Rosencranz's devastated family have launched a GoFundMe in light of the tragedy, receiving over $25,000 in less than 24 hours.
Two other vacationers were struck by lightning on Friday, June 20 in an 'indirect strike' while golfing at Venetian Bay Golf Course. Neither were hospitalized.
Florida's health and safety department calls the state the 'lightning capital' of the United States. The Sunshine state experiences more lightning strikes per square mile than any other states, with an average of 1.2 million annually.
He said: 'So sorry for the tragic loss of a young man here on a delayed honeymoon with his wife.
'At 29 years old, he should have had many more anniversaries with her for years to come.
'Sending sincere condolences to this young woman on behalf of all of us in Volusia County who were hoping against hope that the diligent efforts of our lifeguards, EMS team and ER staff would bring him back to her.'
The odds of being struck are 1 in a million and 90 percent of victims survive, per the CDC.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, whose team responded on the scene, released a statement addressing the man's death and offering his condolences to the family.
