COSHOCTON, OHIO: Authorities say a 9-year-old boy has died after being struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon outside his central Ohio home.
The Coshocton Tribune reports rescue crews were sent to a home in rural Jefferson Township around 12:30 p.m. and found the boy not breathing. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Coshocton. Jefferson Township is about 65 miles northeast of Columbus.
An official with the Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services told the newspaper that the boy and a younger sister were several minutes from home when a thunderstorm passed overhead.
The official says it’s unclear if lightning struck the boy directly. He says the children’s mother called 911 after the sister ran home and told her what had happened.