A 24-year-old Duxbury native was killed by lightning during a trip to Australia, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sam Beattie was killed at the summit of Mount Warning while camping with girlfriend Michele Segalla. The couple had pitched a tent under a tree that was struck by lightning during an electrical storm Monday night. Beattie’s feet were touching the tree and he was killed instantly. Segalla, 23, suffered minor injuries to her head and neck and her hair was singed.

The couple had flown to Australia from their New York home in October and planned to spend a year traveling the country. Beattie posted photos to his Instagram account the day they left, writing, “Fit our lives into 5 bags (minus 2 neck pillows). Next stop, Sydney!”


“I know two people have rendered first aid to the male for at least an hour, trying to resuscitate him. Unfortunately they couldn’t bring him back,” Superintendent Wayne Starling of the local police told the Morning Herald.

Camping is prohibited at the summit, which is a popular place to watch the sun rise, reports the Morning Herald.

“I can’t judge,” said Starling. “People do what they do, you know. It’s just a tragedy. Regardless of whether they should be there or not, it’s just a tragedy to lose a life.”

Beattie was a 2010 graduate of Duxbury High and played on the football team, according to WCVB.

Read the full story at the Morning Herald.