Teen knocked unconscious after lightning strike, grateful to be alive

By Brianna Chavez

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    SALINA, Sevier County, Utah (KSL TV) — A freighting moment for 50 youths from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after they felt a lightning shock near Salina Canyon in Sevier County Thursday.

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

Cell phone video provided to KSL TV showed Johnson lying on the ground, almost lifeless, after the lightning strike. He was one of seven teens taken to the hospital after the incident.

“We started to hike, and it started to come down pretty hard. I remember thinking like, ‘This is kind of a little scary,’” he said.

Johnson said he could hear thunder around him but didn’t think much of it. Moments later, lightning struck near him and his group.

“I remember it felt like a baseball bat had just been swung into my head. And I flew forward, and I blacked out,” Johnson said.

He said he was in and out of consciousness shortly after.

“I was thinking, you know, is this it? You know, did I just die? I was thinking about all the things that I still wanted to accomplish in my life,” Johnson said. “And I just had an overwhelming sense of love from my Heavenly Father because I knew I had more to do in this world and from that moment on, I knew I was going to be okay.”

With only a minor concussion, he was released from the hospital within a few hours.

“There had to be some divine intervention because there’s no way that, you know, I just get knocked out on the ground, and the next day, I’m perfectly fine,” Johnson said.

He believes his faith is what pulled him through.

“When we have faith, faith in our God that we can get through those things, that’s what I’ve learned,” Johnson said.

He said he’s grateful for everyone who got him to safety. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said all but one of the teens had been released from the hospital as of Friday afternoon.

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