Nature is so damn powerful. This lighting strike, caught on film by bystanders at Jennie Lake in Sequoia National Park earlier this month, nearly killed a family camping right where it happened.
Chris Lovera and his two children, Aidan, 12, and Nadia, 9, were huddled under a tree after a six-mile hike to get out of the rain when lightning struck the tree above them. They were sent flying, all of them knocked unconscious. “I thought he was dead ‘cause I was just screaming at him, and I couldn’t see him breathing or moving,” Aidan said. The elder Lovera apparently woke to blood streaming down his face and his children screaming at him.
Lovera received first and second-degree burns on his back and armpit and arm. His daughter, Nadia had burns on her arms and thighs and was partially paralyzed. Aiden blew out his eardrum, suffered a wound from the top of his skull to his jawline, and received burns on his legs. Thanks to the help of nearby backpackers, the three were loaded into a rescue helicopter and airlifted to safety. It sounds as though they will all make a full recovery.
“I’m grateful, of course, that my children and I are alive,” Lovera said. “Really, what I come away with is just the gratitude I have for this set of people who were so selfless and willing to go out in this storm – it was still lightning and raining, and they went out into this and helped us selflessly. And it’s just been overwhelming in a good way to see so many people in our community be willing to give. People are innately good at heart.”
