Lightning Strike Kills Hiker During Utah Storm Despite Clear Conditions

Craig Nelson, fifty-nine years old, died after a lightning strike killed him while he was hiking with his brother near the top of American Fork Twin Peaks in Utah on July 18. The incident happened just steps from the summit where Mark Nelson had finished the trail before turning back. He told police that they were taking a break to eat when the weather suddenly shifted. They checked the conditions and saw no lightning, so he believed it was safe to keep moving forward.

Around 11:45am the brothers reached the east peak. Mark decided to leave because the storm seemed to get worse. Nelson kept going but collapsed about twenty feet away from him after being hit by a bolt of lightning. It took Mark roughly twenty minutes to find cell service and call for help. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office received that call at 12:01pm, which triggered a response from search and rescue crews and a Department of Public Safety helicopter.

Once the storm cleared enough to see, teams located Nelson near the scene where he fell. He was pronounced dead immediately upon arrival by the medics. The surviving brother was safely escorted down the mountain by ski patrol. Authorities say they are still investigating the official cause of death as of July 20, though the National Lightning Safety Council lists this case as the fifth lightning-related fatality recorded in the United States this year.

Sheriff Rosie Rivera held a press conference to address the growing danger. She noted that weather conditions in Utah remain very unpredictable and change quickly. Her advice to hikers facing such storms is clear: get down to lower elevations immediately, stay at least three hundred feet away from any body of water, and put down trekking poles. The Sheriff's Office offered its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Craig Nelson, acknowledging the tragic loss felt by everyone in the community.