If a wedding is the most magical day for any couple, the honeymoon is a continuation of this newly married bliss, and while most couples know that something may go awry in this one of a kind trip that they have planned, they usually think along the lines of a missed reservation or a room confusion, not the death of one of the spouses. Reading that one might believe that the incident happened in some exotic place with dangerous creatures, but no, it happened in Florida, at New Smyrna Beach, near Daytona Beach.
The situation is almost unbelievable, especially because it is so rare, but newlywed Jake Rosencranz, 29 was enjoying his honeymoon with his new wife, relaxing at the beach when, in a freak turn of events, he was struck by lightning as he entered the water. He was just ankle deep when the incident happened.
The report came courtesy of the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, who confirmed that Mr Rosencranz had survived the original impact thanks to CPR performed at the scene by emergency services. Once alone, he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where unfortunately, he did pass away the next day.
Before his passing, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood published a statement on Facebook announcing the accident and expressing his well wishes for the family “Saying a prayer for this young man and his wife. They were visiting our beaches to celebrate their marriage. In one terrifying second everything changed. My heart goes out to them tonight.”
The situation affected not just his new wife, family and friends, but the whole community, as it was a very senseless death that no one could have seen coming or prevented. County officials were also devastated by the strike, and many of them had messages of first hope for the family when Mr Rosencranz was still alive, and then condolences once we learned of his passing.
After learning of his passing, Sheriff Chitwood published an additional statement publicly supporting the family and his widow “So sorry for the tragic loss of a young man here on a delayed honeymoon with his wife. At 29 years old, he should have had many more anniversaries with her for years to come. Sending sincere condolences to this young woman on behalf of all of us in Volusia County who were hoping against hope that the diligent efforts of our lifeguards, EMS team and ER staff would bring him back to her.”
The Florida lightning strikes, a trend that no one likes
In another surprising twist, Mr Rosencranz was not the only person struck by lightning that day, two other people who were golfing in a field near the beach were also struck. The good news is that those two golfers needed medical attention but were not seriously harmed nor had to be taken to the hospital for further treatment after their strike. This is likely because they were not standing on water and were likely wearing some kind of grounding shoe, which Mr Rosencranz was not as lucky to be wearing.
The National Lightning Safety Council has shared that Mr Rosencranz is the fourth individual to be killed just this year from a lightning strike. While this number may seem low, it is important to remember that most people can survive these strikes, and it is only a very small percentage of the population that is very negatively affected or has long term consequences after the fact. It does not make it any less scary, though.
But location matters when it comes to lightning strikes, according to the National Weather Service, more people die from lightning strikes in Florida every year than in any other state. This is likely due to a prevalence of thunderstorms and population density, but it does not make us feel better.