Nick Broderick and his girlfriend Eva were hiking in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest in August 2025 when deteriorating weather caught them about two miles from their car. Unable to find shelter as rain began falling, they headed towards the car park. Eva had raised the possibility of being struck by lightning when a bolt hit a tree beside them. Although the tree took the main impact, an electrical current passing through the ground injured both hikers.
Finding Nick on his back, with blue skin and no signs of breathing, Eva called 911 and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. A poor phone signal complicated the emergency call, and she was unable to communicate their position along the trail. Search and rescue teams took 50 minutes to locate them; during that interval, Eva restarted Nick’s heart twice.
Nick survived and was discharged after three days in hospital, with minor hearing loss in one ear and tendon damage. He proposed upon leaving hospital. Determined to give August a happier association, the couple married shortly before the first anniversary of the lightning strike. Eva’s actions were also formally recognised by Palmyra Fire Department, which presented her with a lifesaving award.
