Two former members of the Ware County High School football team died Thursday when lightning struck near them in the area of Lejuene Road and Alton Circle, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office said.
Joey Brandon Nelson, 18, of the 300 block of Garlington Avenue, and Randall Darnell Martin III, 19, of the 2200 block of Tebeau Street, were pronounced dead at the scene after life-saving measures by family members, Ware County Sheriff’s Deputies and Ware EMS personnel were unsuccessful.
The bodies of both men, who were 2025 WCHS graduates, was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for autopsy to determine the cause of death. The GBI is the main agency responsible for investigating the deaths and will release more information once known.
Results of the autopsies still were pending at press time Monday evening.
Nelson was an offensive lineman on the Gators football team while Martin was a defensive back, team rosters showed.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around,” Ware County head coach Jason Strickland said Monday. “Both of these guys were full of life. It’s just an absolute tragedy.”
Waycross Mayor Michael-Angelo James said in a statement: “We mourn with profound grief the tragic passing of our own Joey Nelson and Randall Martin III, who lost their lives on July 10, 2025, when they were hit by lightning after a summer storm. ... Both beloved members of the Ware County Gators football team, their dedication, sportsmanship, and energetic spirits left an indelible mark on their teammates, coaches, and the entire Waycross community.”
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, the two fatalities mark the seventh and eighth lightning-related deaths in the U.S. this year.
Randall Darnell Martin III
Joey Brandon Nelson
The teens were standing outside their car near a lake when lightning from a thunderstorm struck nearby. Waycross experienced heavy thunderstorms with lightning and high winds throughout the Thursday evening after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued about 6:30 p.m. by the National Weather Service.
Ware County Sheriff’s personnel responded about 10:16 p.m. to Lejuene Road near Alton Circle in reference to two young adult men who were unresponsive, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Family members had arrived there to find the two men unresponsive, and then called 911. The family attempted life-saving measures.
Sheriff’s Office and Ware EMS personnel followed with their unsuccessful efforts.
“My sincere sympathies and prayers are with the families of both of these young men,” Ware County Sheriff Carl James said. “Death is always painful for families, but it is all the more tragic when people so young pass away. No parent should have to bury their child.”
The lightning council said 501 people have been killed by lightning since 2006.
