Golfer in Pennsylvania dies after being struck by lightning

A 71-year-old golfer was playing Pine Hills Golf Course in Pennsylvania when he was struck by lightning.

A Pennsylvania golfer died after being struck by lightning Friday at Pine Hills Golf Course in Taylor, just south of Scranton.

According to a report by Pennsylvania TV station WNEP, the Lackawanna coroner made the ruling Sunday that Joseph Slivinski, 71, was killed by the strike. Storms were moving through the area, and the lightning strike occurred around 1:30 p.m.

WNEP reports Slivinski and his playing partners split up when the storm arrived, and Slivinski was seeking shelter. He died at the golf course.

John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist at the National Lightning Safety Council, said there have been 12 golf-related lightning fatalities in the U.S. since 2006. Slivinski’s death was the third this year.