By AccuWeather staff writer
William Friend (Bisnow Media)
A man was struck and killed by lightning on Sunday afternoon off the coast of North Carolina, after what was left of Tropical Storm Colin moved through the area.
The victim was identified by authorities as William "Will" Friend, the husband of actress Bevin Prince, who starred on the TV series One Tree Hill. Friend's death is the third lightning-related fatality of the year so far in the United States and the second in the past week.
Friend, CEO of the digital media company Bisnow Media, was less than a week from celebrating his 34th birthday.
Authorities discovered Friend on a boat near Mansonboro Island, just south of Wilmington, North Carolina, after he was struck by lightning during a storm, local news station WECT6 reported.
While Tropical Storm Colin had weakened to a depression on Saturday evening, hazardous marine conditions persisted into Sunday. Combined with what remained of Colin and a cold front that swept through the region Sunday afternoon, showers and thunderstorms were scattered across the region.
Track of Tropical Storm Colin (red) and the lightning strike that took Friend's life (yellow).
Special weather statements and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Sunday afternoon by the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Wilmington.
According to NOAA GOES-16 satellite data, a lone thunderstorm with lightning formed just before 1 p.m. east of Wilmington. It spread across the area of Masonboro Island at the time of Friend's death before subsiding just before 6 p.m.
As reported by WECT6 News, civilians flagged down the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, and the law enforcement officials responded with their marine unit and the Wilmington Police Department's marine unit.
The emergency team performed CPR on Friend as they transported him from his boat to Bradley Creek Marina, where an ambulance was waiting. First responders attempted to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
NOAA GOES-16 satellite
Prince's close friend, Odette Annable, shared a tribute on Instagram on Wednesday, saying the "unimaginable" happened.
"Will, it feels surreal writing this. Mostly because it feels like you were just getting started," Annable wrote. "The life and love that you gave to my best friend made it feel okay that we were thousands of miles apart."
Annable ended her Instagram tribute by sharing a Go Fund Me link where people could donate to two causes Friend felt strongly about in lieu of flowers.
Prince, 39, rose to fame in 2004 when she starred in One Tree Hill. According to Page Six, Prince and Friend tied the knot in May 2016 and then moved to Wrightsville Beach to be closer to family.
In a tribute from Bisnow Media, Friend was credited with leading the company to "global status in the commercial real estate industry" and "one of its most influential leaders."
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, Friend's death is now the third lightning fatality in the United States this year.
Last month, a Southern California woman was killed by a lightning strike while walking her two dogs. The 52-year-old woman was the first lightning fatality in the U.S. this year.
On Saturday, in Mountain City, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta, the second lightning fatality of the year was reported when a 39-year-old man was struck and killed while loading tools into a van, according to John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council.
According to Jensenius, it was the 17th lightning death in Georgia since 2006 and the first in over a year.
Then, on Sunday, Friend's tragic death became the third lightning fatality in the U.S. The most recent lightning fatality in North Carolina occurred almost two years ago in 2020.
"Beach-related activities are the second-leading cause of lightning deaths in the U.S.," Jensenius said. "Now with 29 deaths since 2006."
Being out on the water without shelter during a thunderstorm can be a life-threatening situation, experts say. Since lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm, being on the water when thunderstorms are near is equally as dangerous.
Nearly two weeks ago, the U.S. Coast Gaurd rescued seven people after lightning struck their 39-foot boat off the Florida coast. Miraculously, no one was injured.
The number of lightning-related deaths is still below average for this time of year. Based on data from the last 10 years, there are, on average, nine lightning-related deaths through July 4.
Jensenius warns that July is typically the deadliest month of the year for lightning in the U.S. Since 2006, there have been a total of 149 deaths in the month of July, which averages out to about eight each July.
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