A 17-year-old Florida girl died on Sunday after she was electrocuted by a power line downed in severe storms that swept through the state.
The teen was driving through Spring Hill, about 40 miles north of Tampa, when her vehicle collided with a power line knocked down by a falling tree, according to a statement from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Following the collision, the victim’s car caught fire on the driver’s side. When she tried to escape, she stepped onto the active power line, resulting in immediate and fatal electrocution. She has not been identified by police.
Storms and severe weather pummeled the Southeastern and Gulf regions over the weekend, bringing hail, wind, and nearly two inches of rain causing street flooding in some areas, according to NBC affiliate WTVJ.
A Saturday storm damaged about 20 homes on Florida’s Gulf Coast region and injured one person, officials said.
Several homes and businesses across central parts of the state near Orlando reportedly caught fire after being struck by lighting. Some structures were leveled and had the roofs ripped off by extreme, tornado-like winds, said WTVJ.
Florida wasn’t the only state experiencing deadly storms, as two Louisiana residents were killed over the weekend by severe weather.
A 48-year-old man died after a tree fell on his mobile home on Friday evening in the Shreveport area, according to a release from the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office. Nearly 200 miles southeast in St. Landry Parish, one person is dead and seven others were injured after a tornado struck the area, Jessie M. Bellard, President of St. Landry Parish, told NBC News.
The National Weather Service reports that thunderstorms are still expected in parts of South Florida on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed.