Two men rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during road trip
The rescue teams were first alerted about the incident at 5pm but it wasn't until around midnight that the helicopter made a second trip to rerscue the less seriously hurt man
Two men have been rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during a road trip.
On Thursday, June 12 at around 5pm rescuers sprung into action when the two men were struck by lightning from a Colorado peak during a hike. Rescuers believe it was one of the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state.
The rescues happened near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert.
One man remained hospitalised in fair condition on Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and later released. Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith confirmed the two men are from New York state but their identities have not been released. The pair had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip.
They first called for help around 5pm after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. Mr Smith said: "It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness."
Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was nonresponsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet (4,330 meters).
He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said.
The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet (4,175 meters). Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet (5,800 meters).
Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures.
A lightning strike can reach temperatures of 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, five times hotter than the sun's surface, and can carry millions of volts of electricity. It can strike from cloud to cloud, within a cloud, or from cloud to ground.
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Two men rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during road trip
The rescue teams were first alerted about the incident at 5pm but it wasn't until around midnight that the helicopter made a second trip to rerscue the less seriously hurt man Two men have been rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during a road trip. On Thursday, June 12 at around 5pm rescuers sprung into action when the two men were struck by lightning from a Colorado peak during a hike. Rescuers believe it was one of the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state. The rescues happened near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. One man remained hospitalised in fair condition on Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and later released. Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith confirmed the two men are from New York state but their identities have not been released. The pair had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip. They first called for help around 5pm after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. Mr Smith said: "It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness." Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was nonresponsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet (4,330 meters). He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said. The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet (4,175 meters). Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet (5,800 meters). Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures. A lightning strike can reach temperatures of 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, five times hotter than the sun's surface, and can carry millions of volts of electricity. It can strike from cloud to cloud, within a cloud, or from cloud to ground.
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