A Florida roofer is dead after a workplace tragedy in which he was struck by lightning.
Edvin Cinto was fatally struck on a roofing site in the community of Deltona, northeast of Orlando, on Monday, according to WKMG-TV.
The 24-year-old man was found with a sock melted into his foot and his hair burned, according to WOFL-TV.
Witnesses said they observed Cinto appearing stunned before he fell through a hole in the incomplete roof.
He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
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A coworker said it wasn’t raining at the job site at the moment of the lightning strike and the bolt in question was the only strike they saw.
Cinto’s friends and family described the roofer as more than a figure in a tragic story.
“He was a fine guy, dedicated to his job and just a good boy,” his cousin, Cesario Cinto, told WKMG.
Investigators said 24-year-old Edvin Cinto died Monday after his coworkers reported that he was struck by lightning while working on the roof of a home along Sterling Point Drive in Deltona. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. https://t.co/oLfg8YuAai
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) May 23, 2023
“Everyone should stop working because it’s dangerous to work when it’s lightning,” he said.
The Cinto family was working to transport the deceased’s body back to his native Guatemala for a funeral.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office indicated that preliminary evidence from the scene of the death was indicative of a lightning strike, although an autopsy hadn’t confirmed a cause of death as of Tuesday.
Officials with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived on the scene of the accident to investigate the fatality on Tuesday.
.@OSHA_DOL on scene of home under construction in @CityofDeltonaFL where worker was apparently struck by lightning & fell from roof Monday. 24 yo Edvin Velasquez Cinto died at the hospital. pic.twitter.com/vQfIcoDcLa
— claire metz (@clairemetzwesh) May 23, 2023
Roofers have one of the most dangerous — and necessary — jobs in America.
The roofing field had the third-highest fatal work injury rate in the nation in 2021, behind only logging workers and fishing and hunting workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
We can now confirm the 4th #lightning fatality of 2023. A roofer in Deltona, #FLwx was killed by lightning while working on a roof.
Roofing is one of the most dangerous work-related activities with respect to lightning.
Prepare your jobs with weather in mind.#LightningSafety https://t.co/rJHUNxHKQ4 pic.twitter.com/ARxyMlNZv5
— Lightning Safety Council (@LtgSafeCouncil) May 23, 2023
Volusia County Emergency Services Director Jim Judge cautioned the public against taking the risk of exposure to lightning, according to WOFL.
“Terrible things do happen to good people, so don’t take any chances with your life or your family,” Judge said.
