Nevada Man On Jet Ski Killed, His Son 'Severely Burned' By Lightning In California

A Nevada man on a jet ski was struck and killed by lightning during a weekend outing in California. His son suffered severe burns.

The incident took place at the Stampede Reservoir in Sierra County, Saturday, July 25.

The man, identified as 47-year-old Eugene Arao, reportedly went underwater near a boat ramp and was declared missing after he was struck by the bolt-from-the-blue, Saturday afternoon. Divers later found his body submerged about 20 yards from the shoreline.

His son, who was in the water, was knocked unconscious and "severely burned" by the blast of electricity.

A total of four people were struck by the lightning on Saturday afternoon, according to KOLO-TV. Two of those were described as "shocked." They were later released from the scene.

Calling the Saturday incident a "horrific tragedy," Shelley Brewster Bryant, who was at the scene on her family’s boat, just about 30 feet from the jet ski, wrote on Facebook that "several others were injured and burned."

"We had some minor damage to our boat....our sonar was fried from the strike and it knocked the wind out of our nine-year-old. She has some minor chest pain today but is doing well," she wrote.

She wrote that after her husband managed to get her and their daughter safely at the dock, he helped find the man’s body.

"He was able to locate him on our back up fish finder....and dropped the anchor with a buoy. The divers showed up as we were leaving," she wrote.

Bryant said rescuers performed CPR on his son before paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital. He is reported to be recovering in Truckee Hospital, but no updates were available on his present condition.

Arao was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of The National Association of Letter Carriers.

"Last week, Eugene celebrated his 22nd year with USPS. He worked at the Reno Post Office and was a veteran of the United States Army," a statement from the association read. "He leaves behind his wife of 27 years and three sons."

A lightning safety specialist at the National Lightning Safety Council said that Saturday’s incident was the first lightning fatality reported from California since July 18, 2015.

This incident marks the 9th lightning-related fatality reported in the country this year.