7 teenagers hospitalized after lightning strike in central Utah

SALINA, Sevier County – Dozens of teenagers who suffered shock from a lightning strike are recovering in Sevier County, while others with more serious injuries were flown to hospitals in northern Utah.

KSL TV spoke to four teenagers who are still processing the incident. Their symptoms include headaches and ringing in their ears, but their thoughts are with their friends, who were flown by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in serious condition.

The teenagers shared their experiences with KSL TV with their parents’ permission.

Peyton Bailey, 14, was one of dozens of people on a church outing when they saw lightning and felt an electric shock.

“When the lightning struck, it was so strong that it felt like a heavy weight had been placed on our heads, like something had hit us. But we were wearing hats and we believe the metal on our hats attracted the lightning,” said Peyton, who captured the incident while recording a video for her mother.

“I saw the light and then it felt like a baseball or something hit my head,” said 14-year-old Hudsyn Higgs, who was walking next to Peyton in the video.

“Many of them said that when they saw lightning, they didn’t feel at all like they expected it to. It was more like they had been hit by a heavy load or an electric shock,” said 17-year-old Alyssa Rosquist, who was further ahead in the group than Hudsyn and Peyton.

Hudsyn and Peyton said the shock was so severe that several teens were thrown to the ground and some appeared to be unconscious.

“He was about five feet in front of us… I just remember seeing the flash, then I fell and I was on the ground, and I remember getting up and seeing him on the ground, having a seizure,” Peyton said. “It was so heartbreaking and such a weird feeling, I can’t even describe it.”

According to a press release from the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, about 50 youth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints group felt the lightning strike, although no one appears to have been directly hit.

Alyssa described a similar experience with another boy who was on the ground and had a “seizure.” Alyssa said several teens near the boy also “collapsed” but got back up.

“I saw the boy and he was having a seizure. He was breathing and we were lucky that that happened, but he was definitely having a seizure, but then all the men crowded around him and got him,” Alyssa said.

According to Alyssa, several parents and church leaders rushed to help the teens on the ground and loaded them into vehicles within moments.

“My mom and dad were also at another company and there was a kid who had completely fallen over and had his face in the dirt, but my mom wiped all the dirt off his face and he was OK. A lot of them were just shaken up and it was very cold, pouring rain, so that was another problem as well,” Alyssa said.

Parents of the teens said the incident occurred near Salina Canyon.

The teens described the terrain as a flat dirt road in an open area of ​​a ranch and said they were about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) into the 6- to 7-mile (10- to 11-kilometer) hike when they felt the lightning strike.

According to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred around 1:45 p.m. south of Fremont Junction near the Willow Springs overlook in eastern Sevier County.

“A light rain shower in the area resulted in puddles of water on the ground. During the hike, lightning struck the ground next to the juvenile,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

In an email to KSL, Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said no one was directly struck by lightning and that no injuries or burn marks were reported.

In total, about 50 teens were struck by lightning. Seven of the teens had “medical issues due to the shock” and were taken by ambulance to Salina, where they were “evaluated based on their symptoms,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Two of the teens showed severe symptoms and were flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi, the news release said. In the email to KSL, Curtis said their injuries included “numbness” and “partial paralysis of the extremities” but did not appear to be life-threatening.

“The remaining teenagers were transported to Gunnison Hospital and Sevier Valley Hospital to be evaluated by medical personnel and declared fit to participate,” the press release continued.

MPs also said that all other participants had been identified and returned to their parents.

“I think I’m really shaken by everything,” said 13-year-old Khloe Rosquist, who initially felt a lightning strike but experienced no lingering symptoms.

“We know that in the scary moments, we still have to make sure the kids are OK, but we have truly seen God’s hand,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa and Peyton also said they were grateful for the quick response of first responders, parents and church leaders who got everyone to safety.