Questions linger after man struck by lightning Wednesday at Evansville warehouse
Isaiah SeibertEVANSVILLE, Ind. — It remains unclear why a man was on a warehouse roof when he was struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon.
Dispatchers received a report of the injury at a Berry Global facility in the 300 block of North Kentucky Avenue at 4:09 p.m. The Evansville Fire Department, emergency medical crews and law enforcement were called to the scene.
Firefighters gave him medical aid and used a ladder truck to return the man to the ground, EFD spokesman Division Chief Mike Larson told the Courier & Press.
Medics then took him to a local hospital. There's no word on his condition or the extent of his injuries. Larson declined to release the man's name, citing privacy laws.
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Berry leases the building where the incident occurred, the company said in a statement provided to C&P, and the man wasn't one of their workers.
"The injured person was an employee of a company contracted by the building owner to perform work at the site," the statement read in part. "Berry’s thoughts are with the injured individual and his family and friends."
A Berry spokeswoman was unable to provide the name of the contractor, referring that question to the building's ownership.
The warehouse is owned by a limited liability corporation registered to Evansville-based holding company South Central Inc., property and state business records show.
CEO J.P. Engelbrecht didn't return phone calls from C&P by deadline.
The National Weather Service reported thunderstorms in the Evansville area around the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. hours Wednesday.
