Utah teen knocked unconscious after lightning strike, grateful to be alive

Brianna Chavez, KSL TV

SALINA, Utah (KSL TV) — A frighting infinitesimal for 50 youths from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aft they felt a lightning daze adjacent Salina Canyon successful Sevier County Thursday.

“It’s genuinely a miracle, considering nan circumstances,” said 18-year-old Jacob Johnson.

Cell telephone video provided to KSL TV showed Johnson lying connected nan ground, almost lifeless, aft nan lightning strike. He was 1 of 7 teens taken to nan infirmary aft nan incident.

“We started to hike, and it started to travel down beautiful hard. I retrieve reasoning like, ‘This is benignant of a small scary,’” he said.

Johnson connected nan crushed aft nan lightning struck adjacent him. | Courtesy Peyton Bailey

Johnson said he could perceive thunder astir him but didn’t deliberation overmuch of it. Moments later, lightning struck adjacent him and his group.

“I retrieve it felt for illustration a shot bat had conscionable been swung into my head. And I flew forward, and I blacked out,” Johnson said.

“I was thinking, you know, is this it? You know, did I conscionable die? I was reasoning astir each nan things that I still wanted to execute successful my life,” Johnson said. “And I conscionable had an overwhelming consciousness of emotion from my Heavenly Father because I knew I had much to do successful this world and from that infinitesimal on, I knew I was going to beryllium okay.”

With only a insignificant concussion, he was released from nan infirmary wrong a fewer hours.

“There had to beryllium immoderate divine involution because there’s nary measurement that, you know, I conscionable get knocked retired connected nan ground, and nan adjacent day, I’m perfectly fine,” Johnson said.

He believes his religion is what pulled him through.

“When we person faith, religion successful our God that we tin get done those things, that’s what I’ve learned,” Johnson said.

He said he’s grateful for everyone who sewage him to safety. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said each but 1 of nan teens had been released from nan infirmary arsenic of Friday afternoon.