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 Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
England rugby stars marched off pitch after lightning strikes vs USA.. with match already delayed by hour due to storms
ENGLAND stars were marched off the pitch during the rugby union clash against the USA due to lightning strikes. The Red Roses were playing their first match in the States in 24 years as part of the Americas tour on Saturday. 3 3 3 The match was taking place at Audi Field stadium in Washington DC and had been delayed by an hour due to the adverse weather. The lightning also caused another 40-minute delay during the first half of the match. England Rugby confirmed that the players had to be taken off the field due to more lightning strikes around the stadium A statement read: "Due to lightning strikes in the vicinity of Audi Field in Washington DC, players have been removed from the field of play." The incident follows on from delays to matches at the Club World Cup, which was held across the US. Fans in the ground were made aware of the delay as a statement was displayed on the big screen. It read: "There is inclement weather in the area. "The match has been temporarily delayed. Please exit the seating bowl. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "Seek shelter in the concourse and follow instructions from stadium staff." Clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, as well as Chelsea's game with Benfica, were delayed because of the weather. In total, SIX games suffered delays to the action because of the threat caused by thunderstorms. The horrid weather was not able to dampen England's spirits as they cruised to a 40-5 win against the Eagles. Before the delay in the first half, a depleted England team went 14-0 up despite having two tries ruled out. Steve Borthwick 's side was missing many stars due to their commitments to the British and Irish Lions team touring Australia. Gabriel Oghre scored England's sixth try of the game as captain George Ford made four conversions. The US did score a late consolation try through hooker Shilo Klein. Ford admitted that the conditions did not help his team but was proud of their effort. He said: "The conditions were difficult but it was a good group effort and a huge experience for the new players." The result sees England stretch their winning run to seven matches under Borthwick.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Met Office issues SIX new warnings as thunderstorms, hail & flash floods to strike huge swathe of UK
THE Met Office has issued SIX fresh yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms and rain. Lightning, hail and thunderstorms are set to batter Brits across the next two days. 3 3 3 is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Dozens dead after Vietnam tourist boat capsizes
Dozens of people have been killed after a sudden thunderstorm capsized a tourist boat in Vietnam. At least 34 people died after the sightseeing vessel was turned upside down by strong winds during a tour of Ha Long Bay on Saturday, state media reported. The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members. Authorities had earlier reported that 12 people had been rescued, but later revised the figure to 11. Another eight people remain missing. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors and said he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull. 'I took a deep breath, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat,' the boy, who had been travelling with his parents, told VietnamNet. The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from the country's capital of Hanoi. A national weather forecast said a tropical storm called Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam's northern region, including Ha Long Bay's coast, next week. A witness told AFP news agency that the sky darkened around 2pm local time on Saturday (7am BST). He said there were 'hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning'. A picture showed two people sitting on top of the capsized vessel in choppy water as rescue workers arrived to help them. Last week, around 10 people who went missing after a boat capsized off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra province due to bad weather. Eight others were rescued after the boat sank on Monday around 11am local time, Indonesia's national search and rescue agency said. The boat had departed Sikakap, a small town in the Mentawai Islands, and was heading to another small town, Tuapejat. At least 10 government officials were among the 18 people on board the boat, according to reports. Authorities deployed two boats and dozens of rescuers on Tuesday to find the missing people. The Indonesian authorities were reportedly informed of the accident around 5.40pm local time on Monday, about six hours after the boat sank. Boats and ferries are a regular mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are relatively common due to bad weather as well as lax safety standards that sometimes allow vessels to be overloaded.
