GRAND CANYON, Ariz. (ABC4) – Multiple people were struck by lighting at Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday during a monsoonal thunderstorm.
Rangers say they received a report of the lightning strike shortly before 3 p.m. at the Bright Angel Trailhead.
A 30-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were found unresponsive at first. The man was able to regain consciousness without intervention but the woman did not regain a pulse until CPR and advanced life-saving interventions were done.
Because of the storm, emergency crews were unable to transport the individuals by air.
The woman is currently recovering at a regional burn center. The man’s condition is unknown at this time.
Grand Canyon rangers say at least two other people transported themselves to the Grand Canyon Clinic with lightning splash injuries.
In Grand Canyon National Park alone, lightning strikes an average of 25,000 times each year. The National Weather Service says lightning kills 49 people each year, on average, and hundreds more are injured. Survivors can suffer from lifelong neurological damage, NWS explains.
Monsoonal weather recently claimed the life of a Michigan woman who became caught in flash flooding activity in the Grand Canyon earlier this month.
Two people were recently struck by lightning in a Utah state park near Canyonlands National Park.
Just over a year ago, a Utah man was unknowingly struck by lightning while on a walk in Eagle Mountain. He recounted the moment it happened, and what happened next, with ABC4’s Emily Clark.
