Five members of an Idaho family felt the impact when lightning struck
Sunday afternoon during their hike on the American Lake Trail up the
Castle Creek Valley. Although none seemed to be critically injured, the
two most affected were transported by a Flight for Life helicopter to
Children’s Hospital in Denver, according to a sheriff’s deputy.
The family was about 1.5 miles — approximately halfway — up the steep,
challenging American Lake Trail, whose trailhead is 11 miles up the
Castle Creek Valley. When the lightning struck at approximately 1:45
p.m., all five family members were knocked to the ground, said Pitkin
County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Director Ann Stephenson.
A 15-year-old girl who lost consciousness was the most severely
injured, and a bystander performed CPR on her before leaving to try to
get cell phone reception to report the incident. The girl regained
consciousness and was able to walk with help to the trailhead,
according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
The girl’s 17-year-old brother suffered burned feet from the strike,
and was also helped down to the trailhead. Both victims were
transported by ambulance to Aspen Valley Hospital, and, later, flown to
Children’s Hospital in Denver for further testing.
“Their bodies obviously took a lot of electricity, and when there’s
electrical interruption like that, I think (the doctors) would like to
play it safe, rather than take any chances,” said Stephenson, who was
not at the scene during the incident, but speculated that the lightning
struck very close to the family.
The father suffered some superficial injuries to his face, said
Stephenson, although he wasn’t sure whether it was from hitting the
ground or debris flying up in his face. The mother had no reported
injuries. A 27-year-old son initially reported not being able to feel
his legs for several minutes, but soon regained their use.
Three separate teams of 25 members of Mountain Rescue responded to the
lightning strike call, which came in shortly after 2 p.m., as well as a
four-member U.S. Forest Service team, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s
Office, Aspen Valley Hospital personnel and citizen bystanders. It was
initially believed some of the victims would have to be carried out.
A Flight for Life helicopter was dispatched and was en route to the
scene when it was turned around, once it was determined that the
victims were able to walk out on their own. Hospital staff later
requested an emergency flight for the two youngest victims.
While the chances of surviving a lightning strike are very good,
survivors often experience some type of lingering effects, often
neurological in nature.
No further information about the conditions of the victims was available.
lutz@aspendailynews.com
