FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A New Jersey golfer was critically injured when he was struck by lightning Sunday — just a month after another golfer was killed by a lightning strike in the state.
Sunday’s incident happened between the 2nd and 16th holes at the Pinch Brook Golf Course in Florham Park around 6:18 p.m., according to police there.
Officers arrived to find bystanders and a retired Morris County Sheriff’s Office captain performing CPR on the victim. The group continued CPR efforts until medics arrived and rushed the 38-year-old man to a local hospital, where he was later transferred to another medical facility.
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The extent of his injuries wasn’t known, but police said he was in critical condition when transported to the other hospital.
The injury comes on the heels of a 28-year-old golfer who was struck and eventually killed by a lightning bolt in New Jersey last month.
Police say Simon Mariani, 28, of Franklin Lakes was golfing at Ballyowen Golf Course when a storm passed through and produced a lightning strike that hit Mariani, according to a local report.
Burn scars on the golf course from the lightning strike.
(Brian Delia Photography via Storyful / FOX Weather)
The chances of being struck by lightning in any given year is 1 in 1.43 million, or 1 in 18,000 in an average lifetime, according to the National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC).
The NLSC said 13 people, including Mariani, have died from lightning strikes so far this year. A 41-year-old man died while golfing in Texas in June, according to the NLSC.
Overall, 16 people have died while golfing since 2006, the NLSC says.
