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A cherished father has been identified as the individual who tragically lost his life after being struck by lightning while traversing a gas station parking lot in Wisconsin, his family has revealed.
The victim, 41-year-old Peter Garamone Sr., was hit by a lightning strike on Wednesday evening at a Kwik Trip gas station located in Waukesha, as reported by local police.
Garamone, employed as a long-haul truck driver with JB Hunt, had just left the gas station when the fatal incident occurred, his grieving father, Jim Garamone, shared in a heartfelt Facebook post on Thursday.
“I’m at a loss for words, but our eldest son, Peter Paul Garamone Sr., was struck by lightning while on a trucking job in Wisconsin last night. He passed away at the age of 41,” Jim expressed in his poignant message.
He went on to say, “I keep hoping this is a nightmare I will wake from, but unfortunately, it is our reality. It serves as a reminder to embrace our loved ones a bit more closely,” reflecting on the tragic loss.
Garamone leaves behind his wife Lisa and their son Peter Jr.
His father just celebrated his 72nd birthday and completed chemotherapy and radiation treatments for esophageal cancer, Jim shared just days ago.
A witness called 911 around 7.45pm, reporting that a man was down and they were ‘unsure if he was breathing,’ the Waukesha Police Department said.
Peter Garamone Sr., 41, was fatally struck by a lightning bolt on Wednesday evening at a Kwik Trip gas station in Waukesha, according to police. He leaves behind his wife Lisa and their son Peter Jr (pictured together)
Garamone worked as a long haul trucker for JB Hunt and had just exited the gas station when he was hit by the bolt, his heartbroken father, Jim Garamone, said
The victim also called first responders when it happened, CBS 58 reported.
Police said that witnesses, as well as physical evidence at the scene ‘were consistent with a lighting strike’.
Medics found Garamone unresponsive and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His death comes as a number of tornadoes and grapefruit-sized hail have battered the Midwest in recent days.
At the time of the incident, the area was experiencing heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning.
The Daily Mail contacted the Waukesha Police Department and the Waukesha County Medical Examiner for comment.
Severe thunderstorms started tearing through Wisconsin, Iowa, and Kansas on Tuesday night.
At the time of the incident, the area was experiencing heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning. (Pictured: Garamone with his father Jim Garamone)
Police said that witnesses, as well as physical evidence at the scene ‘were consistent with a lighting strike’
When lightning strikes a human, it immediately damages the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
About 90 percent of victims survive, but are known to suffer life-long injuries and disabilities as a result, according to University Hospitals.
The incident comes just weeks after a beloved Florida middle school teacher described his experience after being struck by lightning.
James Fernandez, 42, was on a mountain biking trip to Peru in December 2025 when he and his friend Yuri Botelho, 36, were struck by a bolt from the sky.
The friends were on a guided downhill excursion high in the Andes when a sudden storm rolled in out of clear skies.
When lightning strikes a human, it immediately damages the cardiovascular and nervous systems. (Pictured: Stock image of lighting bolt)
Botelho was killed instantly, while Fernandez was thrown fifteen feet from his bike.
Fernandez woke on the ground unable to move and told his tour guide, who had frozen in panic, to get help.
Fernandez survived, but the impact and resulting crash left him with catastrophic spinal cord damage and multiple neck fractures, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
‘This is where I’m at right now. It could change. I hope it changes. But if it doesn’t, I have to accept and find ways to keep living, right?’ he told the Tampa Bay Times.