Lightning Strike Death Update: Now 11 U.S. Deaths for 2025
Be careful out there -- whether golfing, fishing, or just walking
I saw this on my local news notifications:
15 July 2025, Daily Voice: Golfer Struck By Lightning Dies: Remembering Simon Mariani
Simon Mariani, the 28-year-old golfer struck by lightning on the course in Sussex County, NJ last week has died, Daily Voice has learned.
The Franklin Lakes resident was playing in the Iron Man 2025 tournament hosted by Crystal Springs Resort at the Ballyowen Golf Course in Hardyston when the lightning bolt hit on Tuesday, July 8, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Mariani was airlifted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
An obituary shared to the VP Memorial Funeral Home website says Mariani, an investment banking associate, died Monday, July 14.
Not to be too ghoulish about this, yes, there can be a delay between the original lightning strike and the death. The UCD (underlying cause of death) would be the lightning strike, even if there may be later contributing causes of death.
Earlier report - 9 July 2025, ABC: Golfer struck by lightning while playing on course in New Jersey
A golfer was struck by lightning while playing on a course in New Jersey, according to the Hardyston Police Department.
Simon Mariani, 28, was playing golf at the Ballyowen Golf Course in Hamburg, New Jersey, on Tuesday when he was struck by a bolt of lightning at the 15th hole, police said.
Brian Delia, a fellow golfer who witnessed the lightning strike, told ABC New York station WABC that he and Mariani -- who he did not know -- were playing in an all-day Iron Man golf competition when Delia saw dark clouds in the sky when he was at the 15th hole.
….
Delia, who captured the stormy clouds on camera, was playing at the 14th hole but decided "OK, this is enough" once the lightning struck and ran inside the clubhouse for safety, he told WABC.
"As an adult and as an avid golfer, when I see lightning, I'm not going to sit there and hold a metal golf club, so we immediately left," Delia told WABC.
Prior to the strike, Delia said he did not hear any horns or sirens alerting players to get off the course.
I added the bolding.
Yes, many of these golf courses have lightning alarms.
But… not sure what happened here.
U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths for 2025
U.S. lightning strike deaths collected by John Jensenius of the National Lightning Safety Council are as follows:
As you can see, the date and location are when and where the lightning strike occurred, not the death itself. For many/most, they’re the same.
The colors are the sex of the deceased — most lightning strike deaths are males.
Golfing is not as common an activity for lightning strike deaths as I originally thought — it is #1 for sports (we’re not considered fishing to be a sport, but a leisure activity).
Delays Between Strike and Death: Two Cases
I am not going to detail all the lightning strike death reports, but the above strike-to-death delay is not necessarily unusual.
14 July 2025, 10 WBNS: Coroner: 36-year-old man dies after being struck by lightning at North Columbus high school
One of the two people who were struck by lightning at a Columbus high school has died, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.
The coroner’s report obtained by 10TV revealed that 36-year-old Mouhamed Seye died at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center on July 4.
Seye was struck by lightning, along with another person, on the soccer field at Northland High School on Northland Drive on June 29.
According to the coroner’s report, Seye’s cause of death was due to a lightning injury with cardiac arrest and thermal/electrical burns.
14 July 2025, WWAY News: Wilmington man dies after being struck by lightning last month
A Wilmington man has died after being struck by lightning on June 29.
53-year-old, Jason Thomas Gurganus, died on Thursday, July 10, at UNC Chapel Hill Medical Center.
According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Gurganus was struck by lightning while idling in a boat near Marsh Creek at Scott’s Hill Marina.
….
There was one passenger on the boat who was not injured.
The incident happened during a period of active weather in the area.
So we know of three people who were struck by lightning on June 29, two of whom have died (so far) on July 4 and July 10.
Sad Milestone for John Jensenius: 500+ Recorded Deaths by Lightning Strike
I get my main lightning strike death data from the U.S. from John Jensenius, of the National Lightning Safety Council.
On 11 July 2025, I received the following email from him:
With the deaths of the two teenage boys Thursday evening, we have reached a sad milestone. Since I started tracking lightning fatalities in 2006, I have now documented over 500 (501) lightning deaths. While I provide statistics for these deaths, I try to read about the victims and their contributions to their family and community. It's important to note that each death represents a broken family. The impact of each loss affects wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, other close relatives, and the community in which they lived. In many cases, the victim is a breadwinner in the family.
We estimate that every lightning death impacts 10 close family members or friends. That means about 5000 people have been significantly impacted by a lightning death in the past 20 years. In addition to the deaths, we estimate that for every death, 9 people survive a lightning strike, some with debilitating life-long cognitive or neurological injuries. These injuries can be even more devastating to a family, especially if medical bills lead to financial difficulties. When injuries are included, about 50,000 people have been impacted by lightning strikes since 2006.
The National Lightning Safety Council and the National Weather Service work to prevent lightning deaths and injuries through our educational and awareness efforts. Our recommendations are fairly simple:
* Plan activities to avoid the lightning risk
* Check the forecast before going out and consider postponing or cancelling activities if thunderstorms are predicted
* If you do go out, monitor weather conditions with radar or lightning apps, keep a watchful eye on the sky, and listen for thunder.
* Head to a substantial building with wiring and plumbing or a hard-topped metal vehicle at the first signs of a developing or approaching thunderstorm.
* While inside, avoid contact with anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet and all plumbing.
* Remain inside for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.
Most importantly, don't take chances. A little inconvenience could save your life.
In many of the recent deaths, it’s not clear that people knew that any lightning storms were brewing, unfortunately.
People have had an eye on flash floods and their dangers recently, for obvious reasons, but it’s good to remember the danger of large electrical surges coming from nature.
It is pretty.
But dangerous.