6 Roofing Contractors Injured in Rooftop Lightning Strike

Six people, including members of a roofing crew, were injured Tuesday when lightning struck the rooftop of an apartment complex in Wellington, Fla., authorities said. Police and firefighters responded to multiple reports of the lightning strike during fast-moving storms at about 2 p.m., WPTV News 5 reported.

Six people in all were checked out by first responders, according to WPEC. Two were transported to trauma centers after suffering significant injuries, two went to hospitals and two other workers were treated and released at the scene. Updates on the workers conditions were not immediately available.

Capt. Albert Borroto, of the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Dept., said the roofing crew was working on a roof in the community when a storm quickly blew through.

"It seemed to be a fluke storm that developed rapidly without any prior warning, and it appears there was a direct lightning strike to where the workers were working," Borroto told WPTV.

Lightning strikes are more common of a safety problem for roofers than most would like to admit, according to RC Safety Advice columnist Chip Macdonald. A similar strike killed a 29-year-old roofing contractor working on a project in Bonita Springs in 2016.

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Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.