Lightning Kills 59-Year-Old Hiker Near Utah's 11,461-Foot Twin Peaks Summit

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Craig Nelson, 59, died Saturday after collapsing about 20 feet from the east summit of American Fork Twin Peaks, where his brother believed lightning struck him.
Around 10:30 a.m., the brothers saw weather changing during lunch but continued because they had not seen lightning; about an hour later, conditions worsened as Nelson pressed on toward the summit.
A 911 call came shortly after noon after the surviving brother ran down the mountain to regain cellphone service, and a state helicopter found Nelson near the summit.
Rescuers had to wait for the storm to pass before reaching him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene; the medical examiner is still determining the official cause of death.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera used the death to warn that Utah mountain weather shifts quickly and urged hikers to leave exposed ridgelines and summits as storms move in.