Photo: Douglas Sacha / Moment / Getty Images
A tragic incident occurred in Union Parish, Louisiana, where 17-year-old Colton Gauge Honeycutt was killed by a lightning strike while hunting. On Saturday evening (October 18), Honeycutt was in an elevated deer stand near the Weldon community in Bernice when thunderstorms swept through the area. Concerned family members alerted authorities when he did not return from his hunting trip.
First responders arrived at the scene on Robert Welch Road around 8:30 p.m. local time, where they discovered Honeycutt's body in the tree stand. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators from the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office believe a lightning strike caused his death.
Colton's uncle, Craig S. Honeycutt, expressed the family's grief in a Facebook post, describing the event as "a very freakish act of nature." He shared that Colton "did not have it easy and had his issues, but he was loved." The family is now awaiting more details and making arrangements.
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, Colton's death marks the twentieth lightning-related fatality in the United States this year and the first in Louisiana. This incident follows a similar tragedy in Colorado, where two hunters, Ian Stasko and Andrew Porter, died from a lightning strike in September.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Honeycutt's death.