Florida motorcyclist gets hit by lightning and dies in crash

clintspencer/iStock(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- A motorcyclist died in Florida after he was struck by lightning and crashed on a major highway, authorities said.

The 45-year-old man was riding his motorcycle southbound on Interstate 95 in east-central Florida's Volusia County on Sunday afternoon when a lightning strike hit his helmet, causing him to veer off the roadway and crash. He didn't survive, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

An off-duty Virginia State Police trooper reportedly witnessed the lightning strike and the resulting crash, authorities told Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV-TV.

The Florida Highway Patrol posted an image on social media showing the remnants of the man's helmet.

This is what’s left of a 45 year old man’s helmet after he was struck by lightning, while riding his motorcycle southbound, on I-95 in Volusia County this afternoon. Unfortunately he did not survive the crash. pic.twitter.com/uFklUPY8r1

— FHP Orlando (@FHPOrlando) June 9, 2019

Nine out of every 10 people in the United States who are struck by lightning survive, according to a 2016 study presented at the International Lightning Detection Conference and International Lightning Meteorology Conference.

However, lightning strikes can leave a person with many long-term health problems, including muscle soreness, headaches, cognitive problems and nausea.

Direct lightning strikes are rare.

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