Witnesses Describe Lightning Strike That Hit Two Men
DENVER (CBS4)- Two men were injured when they were struck by lightning after they took cover under a tree while waiting for a bus.
"I see the yellow streak and then a big old bang. I said to myself, 'That was pretty close' but I didn't think it was that close," said witness Joe Gonzales.
The Colorado Heights University student and another man were taking cover from the storm under a tree off Federal Boulevard when lightning struck the tree.
"We pull up and I just see some guy picking himself up off the ground," said witness Dennison Snipe. "'Lightning, lightning,' that's all he could say."
Snipe quickly dialed 911 after he saw the second man lying on the ground, "I stopped and I looked this way and I see the other gentleman who was laying right here."
Snipe began to lose hope for the student lying in the dirt, "I automatically thought he wasn't going to survive. I mean, he wasn't moving."
Denver Firefighters were the first on scene and helped the victim in shock from the strike while trying to revive the unconscious student who had no pulse.
"They probably performed CPR for about five minutes before Denver Health showed up," said Snipe.
With the help of firefighters paramedics were able to get his heart started before arriving to Denver Health. Both men are expected to survive.
"Phenomenal. I just want to go and see if they're okay, to be honest," said Snipe.
Firefighters want to remind everyone to seek low ground if they can't take cover indoors during a storm.
