Lightning Strike Kills 1, Injures 2 In SW Miami-Dade County
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Labor Day thunderstorm turned deadly for one man in Southwest Miami-Dade when lightning struck nearby Monday afternoon, police said.
According to Miami-Dade police investigators, three men were pressure cleaning a tractor trailer when the stormed moved over the area of SW 172 Ave. and 212 Street.
They said the men took cover under the tractor trailer.
Concealed from the rain, the men thought they were safe.
Then came the thunder and lightning.
"You felt it," Janet Suarez said. Suarez lives inside the home on the property where the tractor trailer was located. "We went outside and all 3 of them are on the ground."
Suarez and her son, Dominic Rodriguez, sprinted into action after the strike.
"I thought it was a dream, but then I knew I had to react," Rodriguez, 16, said. "I started trying to give CPR, and then my mom took over because I was just freaking out because it wasn't working."
Two men were hurt.
They were taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center and said to be in stable condition Monday night.
A third man did not survive.
Friends have identified him as Andres Telles.
"Right now, we're unable to determine if the victim was directly struck by the lightning," police Det. Robin Pinkard said.
Instead, the lightning may have struck the trailer or the ground nearby, sending a jolt through the men.
The medical examiner arrived just after 4:30 pm to look for clues that could shed more light on exactly what happened.
Suarez and her son said the men had visible injuries.
Police said the tragedy should serve as a reminder to seek shelter during a storm.
Don't stand under a tree or near metal objects.
