A familiar trek in Utah's Wasatch Range ended in a fatal lightning strike for a 59-year-old hiker near a popular summit. Craig Nelson was near the east peak of American Fork Twin Peaks, the highest mountain in Salt Lake County, on Saturday when his brother saw him suddenly collapse about 20 feet away, authorities said Monday, per Fox News. The men had taken the Snowbird tram partway up and paused late that morning to eat as clouds moved in, but they continued after seeing no visible lightning, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
The Salt Lake Tribune notes that, from the tram drop-off point, it's about a mile to the summit. About an hour after their meal, the brother reached the summit, then turned to go back down the mountain after noticing the worsening conditions. He watched Nelson fall on his own way to the summit and believed he'd been hit by lightning. The brother ran back toward the tram until he regained cell service and called 911 around noon. A state helicopter quickly spotted Nelson near the summit, but rescuers had to wait out the storm, per Fox; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rivera used the incident to warn that high-altitude weather can shift rapidly, urging hikers to check forecasts, leave exposed ridges and summits when storms threaten to rush in, avoid lone trees and water, and, if trapped outside, crouch low with their feet together. The medical examiner is determining the official cause of death. "Our hearts go out to Mr. Nelson's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Rivera said in a statement, per KSL.
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