POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — An Indiana couple's first trip to Red River Gorge took a terrifying turn when a storm rolled in mid-hike and Eric Enochs was struck by lightning.
Enochs and his wife, Teresa, drove south to explore the gorge, excited to see Natural Bridge for the first time. Before the hike, they checked the forecast and believed they had enough time to finish before the weather moved in.
"But a mile in it started to come down really hard, and it was pretty scary, but we decided to keep going down. It was only a mile and a half so we didn't think it'd take too long," Enochs said.
Then the storm got worse.
Teresa says they heard a loud crack of thunder, followed by a flash that sent Eric flying.
"I don't remember anything like that, but I remember going completely stiff, like being tased, then just going straight down like a rock," Enochs said. "I was on the ground and I heard my wife screaming, then she rushed over trying to get me to roll over, make a sound, anything like that," Enochs said.
Teresa says Eric hit his head on the rocks when he fell. She dragged him to a dry spot and called 911. Powell County Search and Rescue responded, along with a nearby hiker who happened to be a paramedic.
"If I look back on anything, I think the amount of people that helped me get back down to the bottom and get to the hospital is probably the thing that I'll never forget," Enochs said.
At the hospital, Eric underwent an EKG, CAT scan, and chest X-ray. He says it didn't fully sink in until he called his kids to tell them what happened — and realized just how rare it is to be struck by lightning. The National Weather Service says the odds are about one in a million.
Another person in Kentucky was also struck by lightning this week — Bryan Station High School football coach J.T. Haskins, who's doing okay.
Enochs says he knows he is fortunate to be alive, and he credits the many people who stepped in to help him.
"I was extremely lucky, I think, and little of, you know, maybe my mom was watching over me," Enochs said.
Enochs says he is sore and scraped up, but recovering well. Despite the scare, he plans to return to the gorge, saying there is still plenty on their bucket list left to see.
Megan Mannering is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Megan at megan.mannering@wlex.tv.
