NASCAR: Jury rules for Pocono, series in lightning death

A jury ruled Monday in favor of Pocono Raceway and NASCAR in a civil suit brought over the death of a fan who was killed by lightning at a 2012 Sprint Cup race.

Brian Zimmerman, 41, was struck by lightning and killed in the parking lot outside the main grandstands as fans sought shelter from a thunderstorm. The civil suit, filed by his widow Marion, claimed that NASCAR and the raceway should have halted the Aug. 5, 2012 race when a severe storm warning was issued at 4:12 p.m. The Sprint Cup race ran until 4:54 p.m. after 98 of 160 laps, but the track issued a warning that high winds and lightning were on the way at 4:21 p.m. Two lightning strikes hit the parking lot. Zimmerman was struck at 5:01 p.m.

The jury found Pocono Raceway was negligent, but found that the negligence was not a "factual cause of any harm." The jury did not find NASCAR negligent.

NBC Sports reports the jury also found in favor of NASCAR and the speedway in two additional suits brought by others injured in the lightning strikes.

Neither NASCAR nor Pocono Raceway has commented on the decision.