6 days ago
Young Georgia friends both die after being struck by lightning during fishing trip
Two Georgia teens died after being struck by lightning after storms suddenly rolled in during a 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.
