Lightning kills man, injures nine others at NASCAR raceway

Lightning killed one man and injured several other people at a Pennsylvania racetrack after NASCAR called off the event due to violent storms that swept through the eastern United States on Sunday.

The storms also caused what may have been a tornado near Binghamton, in upstate New York. The Pennsylvania incident occurred at the Pocono Raceway, after NASCAR called off the Sprint Cup race after 98 of its scheduled 160 laps had been completed.

A witness, Kyle Manger, told the Sporting News that he and a friend had fled to his truck as the weather turned foul. “The visibility was very poor and all of a sudden [I] saw a bolt of lightning right in front of our windshield,� he said. “When it became a little more visible, we saw two bodies next to a destroyed tent with people scrambling.�

NASCAR and raceway officials confirmed one death, of a 41-year-old man whose name was not released. Nine other people were taken to hospitals.

“We are deeply saddened that a fan has died and others were injured by lightning strikes following today’s race at Pocono,� said NASCAR spokesman David Higdon in a statement.

Officials said the man who died was in the parking lot near his car when he was hit. He was one of an estimated 85,000 fans attending the event, which was halted as warnings of approaching dangerous storms were issued by the National Weather Service.

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