Latest news with #JakeSmith
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Boy rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning in park
The teenage boy was conscious and alert when he was rushed to hospital following the incident, it is believed the electric current transferred to his metal chain after hitting a nearby tree A boy, believed to be 15-years-old, was rushed to hospital after being hit by lightning at a park. Th horror incident happened at around 3.40pm on Thursday, June 19 in Central Park near Fifth Avenue and 100th Street, according to insiders. The boy has not been identified by police yet. Police the lad was struck when lightning hit a tree and the electric current transferred to his metal chain, ABC 7 reported. Initially, the scene was described as being near the park's loo. The 15 year old was alert and conscious but was whisked off to Weill Cornell, police said. Around 40 million lightning strikes happen each year in the United States; however, the odds of an individual being hit are less than one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 90% of those struck survive, but between 2006 and 2021, 444 Yanks were killed by lightning, reports Mirror US. It comes just days after two men have bee n rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning during a road trip. On Thursday, June 12 at around 5pm rescuers sprung into action when the two men were struck by lightning from a Colorado peak during a hike. Rescuers believe it was one of the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state. The rescues happened near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. One man remained hospitalised in fair condition on Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and later released. Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith confirmed the two men are from New York state but their identities have not been released. The pair had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip. A lightning strike can reach temperatures of 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, five times hotter than the sun's surface, and can carry millions of volts of electricity. It can strike from cloud to cloud, within a cloud, or from cloud to ground. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story HERE. Get email updates on the day's biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.
CBS News
16-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Alpine rescue team recounts emergency rescue of Colorado hiker struck by lightning
A hiker was critically injured in Colorado on Thursday when they were struck by lightning on the summit of Torrey's Peak. First responders said the rescue was a massive team effort between a few different agencies, starting with a radio call into the Alpine Rescue Team's HQ. "He comes back on to say more, which is that the two had made it to the summit," Jake Smith, President of the Alpine Rescue Team, said. "He was on the phone with them and said they've been struck by lightning, and then at that time it was just kind of 'Go, go, go get things ready, get out the door!'" According to the Alpine Rescue Team, they received a page when two hikers went off route on Kelso Ridge just before 5 p.m. Mission leaders stayed on the phone with the hikers until they were able to get back to the route to the summit. They said the hikers made it to the summit around an hour later. It was there that the pair were in the path of the storm, and one of them was seriously injured. "They were talking about, you know, it's super windy up here, we're kind of stuck in hail, we're going to start descending. And then the next thing you heard was a super loud commotion, a phone drop, and just screaming," Smith said, detailing the phone call. "After a few more seconds, somebody came back on the line had said, 'We've been hit by lightning. My partner's down. He's not responsive. He's foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? What do I do?'" Alpine Rescue Team Five ground teams went to help the hikers and requested a hoist to evacuate them, but because of that storm, both helicopters that would typically show up to a rescue like this were unable to fly. Thanks to the National Guard, whose helicopter was able to make it through the storm and up to the top of the 14er, around 11 p.m., two rescue teams from Vail Mountain Rescue Group reached the critical patient. They were able to hoist that person out aboard a Gypsum-based Colorado Army National Guard helicopter. One of the ground teams helped the second hiker before they were flown from the summit at midnight. "In the state of Colorado, we've had many rescues where we've had military helicopters land on the top of fourteeners," Smith explained. "But for them to actually hoist a subject above that 14er and raise them up on the table, we're fairly confident that this is the highest (hoist) in the state's history." Alpine Rescue Team "This call illustrates how quickly situations change in Colorado's high country, and the importance of having your 10 essentials and being prepared for a lengthy evacuation," said Alpine Rescue. They said they're happy to help those having a hard time in the mountains, rain or shine, and for folks not to hesitate to call if they are in trouble. "Don't wait to call for us," Smith said. "That could also take a situation from bad to worse. If you think you need help, we are happy to answer that call, even if it just means giving you some advice and maybe some encouragement. We don't charge." A lesson to be learned from this, according to Smith, is to summit your mountains early in the day, and make sure you are descending early too. Afternoon thunderstorms make an almost daily appearance between 2-3 P.M., and while this situation included issues even later in the afternoon/evening, storms still came. "If you're on Bierstadt, you can see those storms coming from the west," Smith said. "Unfortunately, if you're on a peak like Torrey's, you're not going to see the storms until you're at the top. So on those peaks where you're approaching from the east, I'd say it's especially critical to start early. Finish early because you may get to the top and find that there's a huge storm wall headed your way, and you don't have a lot of time to descend by using it."
Arab Times
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Arab Times
Men hit by lightning plucked from mountain in record-high Colorado helicopter rescues
WASHINGTON, June 14, (AP): Rescuers fetched two men struck by lightning from a Colorado peak in what they believe were the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state. One man remained hospitalized in fair condition Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and released. The rescues happened late Thursday near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. The men from New York state, whose identities weren't released, had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip, Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith said. They first called for help around 5 p.m. after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. "It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness,' said Smith, who was among the rescuers on the ground. Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was nonresponsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet (4,330 meters). He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said. The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet (4,175 meters). Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet (5,800 meters). Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures.
Toronto Star
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Toronto Star
Men hit by lightning plucked from mountain in record-high Colorado helicopter rescues
Rescuers fetched two men struck by lightning from a Colorado peak in what they believe were the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state. One man remained hospitalized in fair condition Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and released. The rescues happened late Thursday near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-meter) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 meters) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The men from New York state, whose identities weren't released, had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip, Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith said. They first called for help around 5 p.m. after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. 'It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness,' said Smith, who was among the rescuers on the ground. Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was nonresponsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet (4,330 meters). He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet (4,175 meters). Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet (5,800 meters). Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures.
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Men hit by lightning plucked from mountain in record-high Colorado helicopter rescues
In this image provided by the Alpine Rescue Team, lamps are illuminated on a ridge as Alpine Rescue Team members take part in helping get two men struck by lightning off Torreys Peak in Colorado, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Jake Smith/Alpine Rescue Team via AP) Rescuers fetched two men struck by lightning from a Colorado peak in what they believe were the highest helicopter rescues on record in this mountainous state. One man remained hospitalized in fair condition Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and released. The rescues happened late Thursday near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot (4,360-metre) mountain about 40 miles (64 kilometres) west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet (60 metres) shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. The men from New York state, whose identities weren't released, had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip, Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith said. They first called for help around 5 p.m. after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. 'It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness,' said Smith, who was among the rescuers on the ground. Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was nonresponsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet (4,330 metres). He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said. The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet (4,175 metres). Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet (5,800 metres). Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures. Article by Mead Gruver.
