South Carolina corrections officer killed after being struck by lightning while fishing in first US bolt-related death this year

MAURY, N.C.– A North Carolina corrections officer has died after being struck by lightning earlier this month, and is the first known lightning fatality in the U.S.

this year.A bolt hit 39-year-old Santonio Catoe while he was fishing on April 11, according to information from the National Weather Service and the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.North Carolina Wildlife officials said Catoe was fishing with his son and several others when he was hit by lightning and thrown from the boat about 9 p.m.at North East Creek Park near Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Members of Catoe’s fishing group quickly pulled him back into the boat, but he was unresponsive.He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.Officials said Catoe worked at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Maury, North Carolina.

Colleagues celebrated his life at his funeral on Tuesday.Before his position with North Carolina Corrections, he served in the United States Marine Corps.Catoe was an avid outdoorsman and leaves behind a wife and four children, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his family.A second-related death attributed to a lightning strike while fishing occurred in Mississippi on Tuesday.Police say a fisherman was struck by lightning while out in the Goshen area, according to WLBT-TV.Police told the station a witness reported the victim went out on the water as thunderstorms approached.According to the National Lightning Safety Council, an organization that promotes lightning safety, fishing has been the leading cause of lightning deaths in the country since 2006.According to the council, fishing is particularly dangerous because it requires extra time to get to a safe space.Since 2006, there have been 44 lightning deaths linked to fishing, according to the organization’s data.Some of the other most dangerous activities that contribute to lightning deaths include beach recreation, boating and farming.Twelve people were struck and killed by lightning in the U...