Nick Broderick and his girlfriend Eva went walking in Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin in August 2025. They were about two miles from their car when rain started. There was nowhere to hide from the weather. They decided to walk back to the car park. Eva asked about the danger of lightning. Then lightning hit a tree beside them. Electricity passed through the ground and hurt them both.
Nick lay on his back. His skin was blue, and he did not breathe. Eva called the emergency number, 911, but her phone had a poor signal. She could not explain where they were on the path. She pushed on Nick’s chest to help his heart work again. A rescue team took 50 minutes to find them. During that time, Eva helped his heart start again twice.
Nick spent three days in hospital. Afterwards, he had a little trouble hearing in one ear. He also had injuries to the parts that join muscles to bones. When he left hospital, he asked Eva to marry him. They married less than a year after the lightning strike. Palmyra Fire Department gave Eva an award for saving his life.
