Man Survives Lightning Strike to the Head During Memorial Day Weekend Outing
Ryan Cross was hit when he was out on a four-wheeler with friends.
— -- A man who went on an all-terrain vehicle ride with friends over Memorial Day Weekend is now recovering from what could have been a life-threatening incident.
Ryan Cross was with friends on a camping trip near Idaho City, Idaho, when they came across an unexpected storm on Sunday.
"They were riding, and it started raining and then all of a sudden it started hailing pretty heavily so they stopped," his wife, Heather Cross, told station KTVB.
"Ryan got off his four wheeler went under a tree to protect himself from the hail, leaned up against a tree, was looking at a map on his phone, and that is when it all happened," she said.
He was with two friends when the lightning struck Cross, and the way in which they were standing impacted their different reactions. One friend was still sitting on the four-wheeler when it struck and he reportedly felt a ringing in his ears, but the other had one foot on the ground and so he got hit indirectly, according to KTVB.
One of the friends was reportedly unconscious momentarily but then came to and was able to run to people in a nearby SUV and they were able to use the car's OnStar system to call for help.
"That helped save his life," she said to KTVB.
Heather Cross told KTVB that the bolt of lightning entered through her husband's head and exited at some point in his back. He had bleeding in his brain as a result of the injury but he is reportedly recovering and has started to walk again.
Heather Cross did not immediately respond to ABC's request for further comment.
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