Nick Broderick and his girlfriend Eva went walking in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest in August 2025. They were about two miles from their car when rain started. They had no place to stay dry, so they walked toward the parking lot. Lightning hit a tree beside them. Electricity moved through the ground and hurt them both. Nick lay on his back. He did not breathe.
Eva called 911, but her phone had a poor signal. She could not tell the rescue team exactly where they were. She started CPR, pressing on Nick’s chest to help keep him alive. The rescue team took 50 minutes to find them. During that time, Eva helped his heart start again twice.
Nick spent three days in the hospital. Afterward, he had a little trouble hearing in one ear. He also had damage to his tendons, strong bands inside the body that help it move. After he left the hospital, he asked Eva to marry him. They married less than a year after the lightning strike. The Palmyra Fire Department gave Eva an award for saving his life.
