A beautiful day at the beach ends in tragedy. (Ratte, Wikimedia Commons)

The beach is a popular tourist destination near Los Angeles. Over 20,000 beachgoers were present that afternoon.  

Bill Patzert, a climatologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory commented that the Southern California coast is “virtually lightning-proof” and as a result, people are not aware of the life-threatening dangers lightning strikes pose. 

The probability of a lightning strike in Southern California is about 1 in 7.5 million, versus 1 in 600,000 in Florida. 

Onlookers described the tragedy to press and law enforcement officials as a “freak accident.” Many said that they felt their hair stand up, then heard a loud crash of thunder.

About 90 minutes later, lightning from the same storm hit Catalina Island, injuring a 57-year old man on a golf course and igniting two brush fires. 

A second victim, a 55-year old male surfer, was sent to the hospital in critical condition. 

The 20-year old deceased victim has been identified as Nick Fagnano, an incoming transfer student to the USC Price School of Foreign Policy’s commercial real estate development program. His family and friends have grieved for a life that was tragically cut short. 

Reach Executive Producer Ashley Yang here, or follow her on Twitter.