It’s always a concern when thunder and lightning happen at at sporting event. Unfortunately thunder and lighting are often joked about among fans.
On Sunday’s race at Pocono, 10 fans were reportedly struck by lightning. One of the fans was announced dead on arrival at the local hospital.
Pocono spokesman Bob Pleban said the fan, whose identity has not been released, was declared dead upon arriving at Pocono Medical Center. Nine other fans were injured, one in critical condition, as a result of the storm and were taken to local hospitals.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and best wishes to those who were injured. And our condolences to the loved ones of the person who was deceased,” Pleban said.
Track officials said the fans were injured in the parking lot behind the grandstand after the race. A fan told The Sporting News that he witnessed a lightning strike near the Turn 3 grandstands.
The track posted warnings on its Twitter page near the end of the race encouraging fans to “seek shelter as severe lightning and heavy winds are in our area.”
The event, the Pennsylvania 400 was ended before it’s advertised distance of 400 miles due to rain. Jeff Gordon was declared the winner.
