Things went from bad to worse for a pair of lost hikers when they got struck by lightning while on the phone to rescue teams.
Two hikers, making their way to Torrey’s Peak in Colorado, found that they had lost their way. Night had started to fall, and they realised they had no idea where they were. Weather conditions worsened, and the two decided it might be time to give the rescue teams a call.
With their guidance and the teams on standby, the two hikers made it to the summit an hour later. However, the weather wasn’t getting any better. The hikers reported that the wind was picking up. Speaking to CBS News, the Alpine Rescue Teams recalled the event.
“They were talking about, you know, it’s super windy up here, we’re kind of stuck in hail, we’re going to start descending. And then the next thing you heard was a super loud commotion, a phone drop, and just screaming.”
The lost hikers had been hit by lightning, and one was unresponsive. “After a few more seconds, somebody came back on the line had said, We’ve been hit by lightning. My partner’s down. He’s not responsive. He’s foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? What do I do?”
New State Record Set For Lightning Hikers
Immediately, five rescue teams and a helicopter were dispatched to save the hikers struck by lightning and stranded. A hoist was requested, but two helicopters were unable to make it to the 14,000-foot peak due to the ongoing storm. However, a National Guard helicopter braved the conditions.
The helicopter had to break a record to rescue the hikers. “In the state of Colorado, we’ve had many rescues where we’ve had military helicopters land on the top of fourteeners,” Jake Smith of the Alpine Rescue told CBS. Fourteeners refers to the peak height.
“But for them to actually hoist a subject above that 14er and raise them up on the table, we’re fairly confident that this is the highest [hoist] in the state’s history.”
Despite the conditions, the National Guard performed a successful hoist on the hikers struck by lightning. They also get bragging rights on a monumental flight.