Beloved dad of 4 who was killed by lightning stopped to help boater, cousin says

Florida Father of Four Struck by Lightning After Pausing Jet Ski to Aid Stranded Boater

Cyberzenhub.com – The final act of kindness that defined a life ended in a single flash of electricity. Steve Matheson, a 41-year-old father from Saratoga Springs, Utah, was killed by a lightning bolt on Saturday evening near Fort De Soto, Florida, after he and a friend stopped their jet ski to assist another boater in distress. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office officials confirmed the strike occurred at approximately 6:35 p.m., and Matheson was transported to a nearby hospital where doctors were unable to save him.

A Saturday That Turned Fatal

Matheson had traveled to the Tampa Bay area for a professional conference and extended his stay by one day to reconnect with a longtime friend, David Cole. The two men planned a casual afternoon on the water. Before launching, they monitored weather radar and judged conditions acceptable. They checked the forecast once more just before entering the Gulf waters and again felt confident enough to proceed, according to Marianne Matheson Shuman, his cousin.

Once underway, however, the sky shifted. A storm cell began rolling in from the west, and the pair turned their machines back toward shore. That return trip was interrupted when they noticed another boater struggling in the channel. Without hesitation, Matheson and Cole altered course to render assistance.

It was in the moments following that rescue effort that the bolt struck. Shuman told ABC News that the strike came after the two men had already helped the stranded boater, making the sequence of events all the more devastating.

“Steve was really good about helping people, strangers included. … And him and his buddy stopped to help,” Shuman said. “… That’s the kind of guy Steve was.”

A Life Measured in Small Gestures

Those who knew Matheson described a man whose generosity was not performative but habitual. His cousin recalled a father who would abandon every other obligation to chase a tennis ball across the backyard for his children. The oldest son, now nine, reportedly asked the question that has since echoed through the family: “Who am I gonna throw the ball with now?”

“He loved big. His family was his No. 1 and he was a very hands-on dad,” Shuman said. “He was the dad that gave up everything and would go throw a ball out in the backyard.”

Matheson leaves behind his wife, Abbie, and four young children aged nine, seven, four, and three. The youngest was barely old enough to understand what had happened. The family’s grief is compounded by the knowledge that the fatal moment was triggered not by recklessness but by compassion.

“He leaves a mark with everybody. … He’s gonna be very missed,” Shuman said.

Lightning on the Water: A Lethal Combination

Open water dramatically increases the risk of a lightning strike. A person on a jet ski has no overhead shelter, no grounding path, and no way to seek lower ground. The National Weather Service advises that anyone on a lake, river, or coastal inlet should head for shore at the first sign of thunder or a darkening sky, ideally before the storm arrives. The roughly 30/30 rule — wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before returning to water — is a standard guideline, though it offers no protection if a strike occurs while already underway.

Fort De Soto, a former military installation now a popular recreational area on Pinellas County’s western shore, sits at the mouth of the Old Fort De Soto Channel where the Gulf of Mexico meets inland waters. The exposed stretch of water between the channel mouth and the open Gulf creates a natural corridor for afternoon sea breezes and convective storms, particularly during the August peak of Florida’s wet season. Lightning activity in the Tampa Bay region typically peaks between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., precisely the window in which Matheson was on the water.

Jet-ski operators carry no lightning-protection equipment comparable to what a grounded building offers. A rider is effectively the tallest object in a flat, conductive environment. Even a bolt that strikes the water within tens of meters can deliver a lethal current through the machine and into the rider’s body. Survivors of near-misses often describe a sensation of being “pulled” from the seat, followed by cardiac arrest that requires immediate CPR and defibrillation — interventions nearly impossible to perform alone on a moving personal watercraft.

What the Family and Community Are Saying

The Matheson family has asked that donations be directed to local children’s charities in Steve’s name, though no formal fund had been announced as of Sunday. Friends and coworkers in both Utah and Florida have shared tributions online, many emphasizing the same detail his cousin highlighted: that the last thing Matheson did before the strike was reach out to help a stranger.

Pinellas County officials urged boaters to monitor radar and weather apps before heading out, to carry a VHF radio or cell phone in a waterproof case, and to identify the nearest shore route before launching. The sheriff’s office noted that the incident was under routine review and that no charges were contemplated, as lightning strikes remain acts of nature rather than preventable accidents in most cases.

For Abbie Matheson and four children who will grow up without their father’s voice calling them back from the yard, the question their oldest son asked that evening will not go unanswered. It simply will not be answered by him.