Lightning kills 1 at remote Wyoming outdoors educator event

Aug 4, 2022, 1:07 PM | Updated: 1:21 pm

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A lightning strike at an outdoors educator course in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming killed one student and injured another, officials said Thursday.

The group with the National Outdoor Leadership School was just days into their trip and had set up camp near Enos Lake, south of Yellowstone National Park, when a thunderstorm moved into the area Tuesday evening.

John D. Murphy, 22, of Boston, died of cardiac arrest because of the lightning strike, Teton County Coroner Brent Blue said Thursday. Blue did not know if the lightning struck Murphy directly or passed through something else to him.

The injured student was flown to an Idaho hospital for treatment and released Wednesday, Shana Tarter, the school’s associate director for wilderness medicine, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

Nine other students, three instructors and two search and rescue members stayed the night in the back country after the lightning strike, school officials said.

Two people at the course who didn’t think they were capable of doing the 12-mile (19-kilometer) hike from the lake to the trailhead were flown out by helicopter Wednesday morning and the rest of the group hiked out, said Matt Hansen with Teton County Search and Rescue.

National Outdoor Leadership School President Terry Watson in a statement called the lightning strike a “a very sad day” for the school, its students and their families.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of our student who passed away on this course and are focused on supporting their family through its difficult process,” she said.

The nonprofit global wilderness school based in Lander, Wyoming, teaches students to become outdoors educators. More than 330,000 students have graduated and there have been 13 deaths at school events during its 57-year history, the school said.

A 20-year-old man training with the school in 2011 fell down a 300-foot (91 meter) ravine into a river while backpacking in India during rainy conditions.

His mother filed a lawsuit against the school, but a Wyoming judge ruled that the contract the man signed releasing the school from liability prevented his survivors from suing the school.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS...

Associated Press

Florida police search for 3 gunmen who wounded 9 at crowded beach on Memorial Day

Police are responding to a shooting near the beach broadwalk in Hollywood, Florida.

2 days ago

Crew members assemble the main stage ahead of the 2023 Scripps Nations Spelling Bee on Sunday, May ...

Associated Press

Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion

As the final pre-competition meeting of the Scripps National Spelling Bee's word selection panel stretches into its seventh hour, the pronouncers no longer seem to care.

2 days ago

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

5 days ago

A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, places flags in front of e...

Associated Press

5 things to know about Memorial Day including its controversies

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.

5 days ago

FILE - This artist sketch depicts the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, left, as he test...

Associated Press

Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob's attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case.

6 days ago

Pride month merchandise is displayed at the front of a Target store in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

7 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Lightning kills 1 at remote Wyoming outdoors educator event