A newly wedded couple was struck by lightning on Friday while hiking in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, which killed the wife and injured the husband along with two others, according to The Denver Post.
Kathleen Bartlett, 31, and Ryan Pocius, 32, had tied the knot days before the incident. Bartlett was pronounced dead by responders on the mountain whereas Pocius was airlifted to Colorado Springs hospital. His condition remains unknown as of Saturday, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
The couple was at 12,400 feet when they were hit by lightning at approximately 1:15 p.m. However, because their location was outside cellphone network coverage, witnesses had to hike further downhill in order to obtain a signal to call 911 at 2:05 p.m.
Emergency personnel were dispatched but could not reach the couple until between 4:30 and 5 p.m. due to the trail's rough terrain. The two other hikers, who were also hit by the lightning, suffered minor injuries and were able to make their way down the mountain safely.
"We ended up having more things in common than we first thought, including a shared appreciation for kids' movies, yoga, sarcasm and love for the outdoors," Bartlett wrote on the couple's page on theknot.com. "It became apparent very quickly that we had both found 'our person.' Six months after we started dating seriously, we found ourselves engaged and the rest is history!"
Bartlett can be seen wearing her wedding dress holding a bouquet of flowers in her recently updated Facebook profile picture, smiling and staring into the sky as Pocius places a kiss on her cheek.
