Father Seeks Justice After Son Killed by Lightning at NJ Golf Course

Tragic Incident: 61-Year-Old Man Killed by Lightning Strike

Father Seeks Justice After Son Killed by Lightning at NJ Golf Course

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a golf course in North Jersey months after a man was killed on the property after being struck by lightning.

On July 8, Franklin Lakes resident Simon Mariani, 28, was hit by lightning while playing golf at Ballyowen Golf Course in Hamburg, Sussex County.

Officials say that Hardyston police officers were called to the golf course at approximately 2:00 p.m. after learning that someone had been struck by lightning. On the course grounds, Mariani was discovered lying down

He was airlifted to a hospital, where he eventually died from his injuries.

Now, the golf course and its owners are being sued by Mariani's father, Scott, who was on the course with his son that day.

The father and son team paid a "substantial registration fee" to compete in an Ironman Golf Tournament at Ballyowen Golf Course that day. According to the lawsuit, the weather was characterized by "unstable atmospheric circumstances."

Mariani contends that even though the golf course was aware of the potentially dangerous circumstances that day, it failed to issue adequate warnings or put in place efficient safety measures that may have averted the catastrophe.

The golf course employees "failed to adequately monitor weather activity, failed to notify golfers of the imminent lightning threat, failed to cease play, and failed to offer timely or effective evacuation instructions," according to the lawsuit.

Scott Mariani "suffered substantial and predictable emotional suffering" and "had contemporaneous understanding of the nature of his son's injuries," according to the lawsuit, which was filed on December 3.

Scott Mariani is requesting a jury trial in his wrongful death claim at Crystal Springs Resort's Ballyowen Golf Course.

The storm on July 8 "developed rapidly," according to a Crystal Springs Resort representative. As per policy, the course crew sounded warning horns to clear the course. They did not say if the warning horns sounded prior to or following Simon's lightning strike.