Two Miami men and their hunting dogs were found dead near a canal in Highlands County, Florida, after an apparent lightning strike. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers discovered the bodies Wednesday afternoon after spotting the hunters’ car and calling in Highlands County deputies. Investigators believe the strike hit sometime after 8 p.m. on Sept. 22, according to a statement from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
Alexander Karl Getz, 38, and Peter James Stansky, 31, were out chasing ducks along Canal C-41A near Rucks Dairy Road when a storm rolled in with heavy rain and lightning that lasted into the night. Their bodies were found on a levee next to the canal. While the initial investigation indicates a lightning strike as the cause of death, the medical examiner has yet to determine the official cause and time of death.
"Our area gets more lightning than just about anywhere else in the country, especially in the summer. If you can hear thunder, that means lightning is close enough to strike, even if the sky doesn’t look too bad yet," Sheriff Paul Blackman said in a press release. "It is essential to pay attention and plan ahead when storms approach."
Incident Follows 2 Hunter Deaths from Lightning in Colorado
Lightning doesn’t care who you are or what you’re hunting. Whether you’re tucked into a Florida duck blind or glassing a ridge in the mountains, a storm can go from zero to dangerous in a heartbeat.
Just weeks ago, a similar lightning strike in Colorado claimed the lives of elk hunters, Andrew Porter of Ashville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, Utah. It took six days for their bodies to be found with more than 170 people on foot, horseback, ATVs, drones, and at least one helicopter looking for them.
The coroner said Porter and Stasko weren’t hit directly by lightning, but were close enough to a strike that the electricity still killed them.
If you spend any time in the woods or on the water, and you hear thunder, get to cover, even if the sky doesn't look particularly grumpy. It can be tempting to tough it out, especially if the fish are biting or the hunting is good, but it's truly not worth it in the end.
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