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Kayaker, 18, Dies After Being Struck by Lightning

While extremely rare, it isn’t unheard of for people to die from lightning strikes.

A Florida teenager was struck by lightning, fell out of his kayak, and died during a horror trip on the Blackwater River in the state’s panhandle last weekend. Michael Vargas, 18, was reportedly kayaking with his father when disaster struck on Sunday afternoon. A search for Vargas was launched by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and local police, and they ultimately discovered Vargas dead in the water, according to the wildlife commission. “The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Michael Aiden Vargas during this difficult time,” it said in a statement. Vargas’ death is the second as a result of lightning in 2026, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Florida is by far the deadliest state for lightning fatalities, recording 99 lightning-related deaths since 2006—more than double the second-place Texas, which has recorded 42, and three times more than third-place Colorado, which has suffered 27 deaths-by-lightning in that period.