CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Macomb County man was struck by lightning on Sunday as pop up thunderstorms roared through Southeast Michigan.
Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, Tri Hospital EMS and the Brockway Township Fire Department responded to the 8900 Block of Capac Rd in Lynn Township on Sunday around 2 p.m. for reports that a man had been struck by lightning.
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The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office says their preliminary investigation found a 58-year-old man from Clinton Township, along with a 62-year-old man from Warren, were in “an open area gathering firewood,” when the 58-year-old was struck by lightning.
The man was transported to a local hospital and was listed with critical injuries as of Sunday night.
The 62-year-old man sustained minor injuries.
There was no active thunderstorm warning in the area during the time of the lightning strike.
Each year in the United States, lightning kills 20-30 people on average and injures 100s more. Tornadoes, hail, and wind gusts get the most attention, but only lightning can strike outside the storm itself. It is the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave.