Hiker dies on Mt Timpanogos after lightning strikes summit

UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A 19-year-old man died Friday after lightning struck the summit of Mt. Timpanogos, where he and eight others were taking shelter from incoming storms in the metal shack that marks the high point.

Utah County Search and Rescue received the call around 6 a.m.

Two groups of hikers, nine total, were near the summit when storm cells moved into the area.

When lightning struck near the “tin shack,” a popular landmark for the end of the hike, multiple in the group were injured, with one man sustaining critical injuries. Despite efforts to render aid, he was pronounced dead on the mountain, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Search and rescue personnel responded to the summit to provide medical assistance and evacuate those affected by the incident, but conditions continued to deteriorate, and the safety of both hikers and rescuers became a major concern. Those remaining on the mountain were told to seek the safest available shelter and make their way down when conditions allowed.

“The remaining hikers ultimately made it off the mountain, where crews were waiting to assess them,” said Lone Peak Fire District. “Five patients were transported for further evaluation, including concerns for hypothermia and possible injuries related to the lightning strike.”

Both Lone Peak Fire District and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences to the friends and family members of the deceased, and reiterated the dangers that can arise, sometimes quite suddenly, in the mountains.

The incident comes after a 59-year-old hiker died in July after being struck by lightning near the summit of American Fork Twin Peaks.

“If you hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning,” read the Sheriff’s Office release. “Hikers should immediately move away from exposed ridgelines, peaks and other elevated areas and seek substantial shelter when possible.”