Annual death toll from lightning strikes hits 6 after string of fatalities

A string of lightning-related fatalities across the United States over the past two weeks has increased the yearly death toll to six, less than a month after the nation recorded its first death of the year due to lightning.

July is one of the deadliest months of the year for lightning deaths in the United States, and that has proven true so far this month, with three victims dying on the same weekend.

On average, 11 Americans are killed by lightning each year by July 12. Thus far, just six have died, which is markedly below average. In a typical July, only eight Americans die from being struck by lightning. This year, five Americans have died from lightning in July so far.

On Saturday, Greg Shipp, a man in his 30s, was killed in Brewton, Ala., as he and a group of three other adults and a child were having a relaxing float on a nearby creek, according to reporting from The Brewton Standard.

Contrary to popular belief, water does not actually attract lightning. However, water is an excellent conductor of electricity, meaning that when lightning does strike the water, the dangerous jolt can travel far.

More men are fatally struck by lightning than women, something Jensenius attributes to the fact that men are more likely to engage in activities that increase one's risk of being struck by lightning, such as boating, fishing, golfing or outdoor construction.

"You are the tallest object in the immediate area [when you are in the water], so you are more likely to be struck by lightning. So, you certainly don't want to be out in the water in a thunderstorm," John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council, told AccuWeather.

Earlier that week, Daryl Lewis, 50, was struck by lightning in Sidney, Ohio, on July 6 after he stopped on the side of a highway during a severe storm in an attempt to fix his truck, which had broken down. Lewis was driving with his father and one of his 15 children when he exited his vehicle in an attempt to make a repair.

"The universal bolt busted off of the drive shaft he was going to put it back on, so he could finish his route," Tanya Lewis, Daryl's wife, told WTEA News.

Three other lightning deaths were reported over the weekend of July 2-3. On July 3, William Friend, 33, was struck by lightning while he was boating just offshore Masonboro Island, N.C., highlighting the dangers of being on or near the water during a thunderstorm.

Track of Tropical Storm Colin (red) and the lightning strike that took Friend's life (yellow).

Friend, the husband of popular One Tree Hill actress Bevin Prince, was celebrating his birthday when storms sparked by a cold front and former Tropical Depression Colin developed in the area, one of which fired off the fatal bolt.

The day before, two men were fatally struck by lightning. Zachary Cook, 38, was hit in Madisonville, Ky., while piloting a remote-controlled aircraft in the middle of a field. The other man, Felipe Flores, 39, was loading tools into a truck in Mountain City, Ga., when he was fatally struck by lightning.

When storms draw near, being in the middle of a field is an extremely dangerous place to be, as you are immediately the tallest object in your area -- making you lightning's primary target, experts say.

"Lightning is not attracted toward anything it tends to strike the tallest object in the immediate area," Jensenius, who is also the creator of Lightning Safety Awareness Week, explained. "So if you're outside and, for example, you have some jewelry or perhaps some coins in your pocket, that's not going to attract lightning. It's really the fact that you're outside that makes it dangerous."

This year's first lightning fatality occurred just under a month ago when a woman and her two dogs were killed by a lightning strike in California.