A tragic disaster befell an American hiker, Craig Nelson (59), who lost his life after being struck by lightning. This ill-fated incident occurred shortly before the victim managed to reach the summit of American Fork Twin Peaks, the highest mountain in Salt Lake County, Utah.
According to an official statement from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, Nelson went hiking with his brother on Saturday morning. To cut travel time, the two brothers, who were familiar with the terrain, used the Snowbird Tram aerial tramway before continuing their journey on foot.
At around 10:30 a.m. local time, the weather in the mountain area began showing signs of change as they paused for lunch. Although the sky gradually darkened, both decided to press on with their climb because they had not yet seen any lightning activity in the vicinity.
That decision proved fatal when weather conditions deteriorated drastically within a short time. The younger brother, who had reached the eastern peak area first, decided to turn back for safety. However, Nelson chose to keep advancing toward the main summit until he was struck by lightning and collapsed right in front of his brother, who was a short distance away.
The lack of cellular service at the scene forced the victim's brother to run down to contact emergency services. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter managed to locate the victim's position, but the evacuation process was delayed due to the ongoing thunderstorm. Nelson was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene shortly after rescue teams reached him.
Local safety authorities once again reminded the public that mountain weather in Utah is highly volatile and unpredictable. Hikers are urged to descend immediately to lower ground and avoid tall structures such as isolated trees if caught in a thunderstorm.
