One Dead, Nine Injured by Lightning at NASCAR Race
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Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images(LONG POND, Pa.) — One person was killed and nine others were injured Sunday evening after lightning struck at a racetrack in Pennsylvania.
The NASCAR race at the Pocono Raceway had been called because of severe weather, with just 98 of the scheduled 160 laps completed. Racetrack officials made announcements telling fans to evacuate, and as they were leaving, at least one bolt came crashing down into the parking lot.
ABC News’ Michael Barr was at the racetrack for the Pennsylvania 400.
“Lightning struck several spectators. The race had just completed the halfway point when heavy storms started rolling through the area and people started scurrying from the stands, and at that point that’s when the lightning bolts started coming into the area. People were trying to take shelter,” he said.
“Those lightning bolts, they were were rather scary. There was a couple of times I’m looking at the car and I had do a double take like, whoa, that was pretty severe,” Barr added.
Ten people were injured by the lightning, one of whom later died at a hospital.
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