West TN Man Killed by Lightning While Mowing

A west Tennessee man was killed by lightning Saturday afternoon while mowing his mother's yard.

WREG-TV reports that 40-year-old Darrell Hoskins, of Somerville, was mowing his mother's backyard near Feathers Chapel Road at approximately 3:30, when a small thunderstorm formed over the area. The lightning hit a nearby tree and authorities believe it then arced to his cell phone, which was in his shirt pocket. Hoskins, a father of two, was found dead by his daughter a short time later.

This was the second death from a lightning strike in west Tennessee in the past two months. A Weakley County child died on May 28th from a strike while playing outside with friends.

Chris Noles with the National Weather Service office in Paducah told West Kentucky Star that lightning is one of the most deadly weather events and caution should be taken when tunderstorms are nearby. He suggests that if thunder can be heard, go inside a building and don't return outside until at least 15 minutes from hearing the last thunder, or seeing the last lightning flash.