By EMS1 Staff
AURORA, Colo. — A teen couple who experienced a lightning strike is now urging the public to learn CPR.
CBS Denver reported that Isaiah Cormier and Juliette Moore, both 18, were camping when they took shelter in their tent due to thunder and lightning in the distance.
“I had just gone inside the tent and seen a really bright flash of light,” Moore said. “He wasn’t responding so I rolled him over. It was very clear that something was wrong.”
Moore discovered that Cormier had no pulse, so she began performing CPR and called 911. Moore was able to get him into the car to meet emergency responders with the help of another camper.
Cormier was transported to the hospital and did not suffer any serious injuries. University of Colorado Health Burn Center Director Dr. Anne Wagner, who said that only two of her patients have ever survived a lightning strike, credited Moore with saving his life.
“He wouldn’t have survived if she didn’t know CPR,” Wagner said. “It’s a super high voltage injury that transfers through the body. It does a lot of its damage under the skin.”
Cormier and Moore are now encouraging the public to learn CPR. Moore had only learned the lifesaving skill a month before the incident occurred.
“If I hadn’t had to do that a month ago, I’m not sure how it would have turned out,” she said. “I think everyone should learn now.”
“Absolutely,” Cormier agreed.