Lightning Hits Woman Just Before Boyfriend Proposes

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Will-O'-The-Wisp

Will-O'-The-Wisp

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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... posed.html

A grieving fiancé has spoken of his grief after his girlfriend was struck and killed by lightning as he was about to propose.

Richard Butler was able to slip the engagement ring on his girlfriend's finger as paramedics battled to save her life.

But they were unable to save 25-year-old Bethany Lott, who had been struck twice by bolts of lightning as she hiked with her boyfriend in the mountains of North Carolina.

Mr Butler, who suffered burns in the strike, said he had been minutes away from proposing to his girlfriend of a year when tragedy struck.

He said: 'The lightning came on quick, a matter of a minute.

'Her final words, she turned and looked at me and said: "Baby, look, isn't it so beautiful."'

Mr Butler said his girlfriend had no idea he was about to propose as they set out for a walk in a mountainous area near Asheville, North Carolina, called Max Patch Bald.

He said the weather was fine as they set out on the three-mile hike to the summit.

As the couple, from Knoxville, Tennessee, walked towards the top of the peak they were hit by three lightning strikes.

Ms Lott was thrown off her feet while Butler said his walking shoes caught fire.

'I was spun 180 degrees and thrown several feet back,' he said.

'My legs turned to jelly, my shoes were smoking and the bottom of my feet felt like they were on fire.

'She didn't say anything, and I turned around and she was laying a few feet away, and I crawled to her.

'I did CPR for probably 15 minutes and the whole time was trying her cell phone, but I couldn't get anything out.'

Mr Butler said he tried to drag his girlfriend down the hill but the lightning strike had left him too weak.

He ran to his car and drove to the nearest house to raise the alarm. Paramedics also responded to the scene and battled to save Ms Lott.

But as an hour had elapsed from the time of the strike she was already dead.

Mr Butler said the paramedics allowed him to kneel by his girlfriend's body and slip the engagement ring on her finger.

He said Lott had wanted to take him to Max Patch since they first started dating.

'She asked me about a week ago if I wanted to go up there, and I said yes,' he said.

'She told me she would like to get married there.'

Ms Lott had hoped to become a Park Ranger after completing college.

In an email to the local paper in Asheville, Mr Butler spoke about his fiancée.

He said: 'I wanted to let the world know a few things. The woman in this story was about ten minutes from becoming my fiancée.

'Her name was Bethany Lott but she wanted to be Bethany Butler. She was the most vibrant, amazing person I've ever known.

'I have never imagined a kinder soul or a bigger heart.'
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Well, they definitely had that "spark" between them. Seriously though, I really can't imagine how devastated I would be if that were me.
 
It's so amazing, that's hard to believe :/
in this case, devastated seems quite an understatement.
 
stuart-says-yes said:
Tragic, there isn't a word strong enough to describe how sad that is.

most likely the lightning stopped her heart, she would have entered cardiac arrest.

This means the poor man has unwittingly killed her.
The first thing we got told in first aid is don't stop giving CPR to the victim, it's possible to continue artificial resuscitation for hours and you should NEVER leave some-one who isn't breathing, even phone an ambulance.

Basically during the time it took to get help, his GF was starved of oxygen and died, while he was trying to help her. :(
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I doubt he'd have had the strength to continue anyway the state he was in. Just an all around terrible story, my day has been darkened because of it =(
 
stuart-says-yes said:
most likely the lightning stopped her heart, she would have entered cardiac arrest.

This means the poor man has unwittingly killed her.
The first thing we got told in first aid is don't stop giving CPR to the victim, it's possible to continue artificial resuscitation for hours and you should NEVER leave some-one who isn't breathing, even phone an ambulance.

Basically during the time it took to get help, his GF was starved of oxygen and died, while he was trying to help her. :(
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Jesus.... you do know something o_O
But the artificial resuscitation doesn't last hours... you only have a short while to continue it before its affects become useless, your trying to push air into the lungs and massage the heart into kick starting again, the only thing that could have saved her would have been a defibrillator.

Not the best thing in the world.... unfortunately for the bloke, he must be in hell right now.
 
Will-O'-The-Wisp said:
Well, they definitely had that "spark" between them. Seriously though, I really can't imagine how devastated I would be if that were me.
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Brofist for that but I agree, i can't even imagine something like that happening to me.
 
I've got chills, their multiplying, and I’m losing control, because the power, its supplying......ITS ELECTRIFYING

Danger danger.....High Voltage

Such puns would be great, if it didn't kill her :(
 
Only just read this thread and wow... that's harsh. Wouldn't that put a fobia in him for pruposing to anyone ever again? "Will you be my wi **BANG**!" "Why God?!" Harsh. S:
 
stuart-says-yes said:
Tragic, there isn't a word strong enough to describe how sad that is.

most likely the lightning stopped her heart, she would have entered cardiac arrest.

This means the poor man has unwittingly killed her.
The first thing we got told in first aid is don't stop giving CPR to the victim, it's possible to continue artificial resuscitation for hours and you should NEVER leave some-one who isn't breathing, even phone an ambulance.

Basically during the time it took to get help, his GF was starved of oxygen and died, while he was trying to help her. :(
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Dear stuart-says-yes,
Just a few things... Did it ever occour to you that on top of having to live with seeing my Bethany die like this for the rest of my life, it might not be that awesome for me to read comments like yours?

Second: from everything MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS (not message board experts) have told me, the severity of the injuries were so extreme that short of having a full trauma team there THE MOMENT it happened, there was no hope for her. (By the way... I served as a combat lifesaver during the illegal occupation of Iraq. Wondering what your credentials are?)

Third: we were on top of a mountain miles from nowhere. Making a call wasn't an option. Believe me... I tried.

Forth: I continued emergency treatment well beyond the point where her physical state indicated that her condition was declining past the point of survivability; I obviously was doing no good.

Fifth: I regret leaving her not because there was a chance in hell that I could have saved her, but because it breaks my heart to think of her being there alone in the time I was gone. I will have to live with that for the rest of my life and it is hard enough to deal with it without people like you weighing in.

Finally: A part of me that I am very ashamed of hopes that since you are so skilled in these matters, you will one day have to go through the exact same tragedy. I'm sure that when you are faced with losing the love of your life on top of getting STRUCK BY FRIGGIN LIGHTNING yourself, you will be much more level headed. But in her honor I am trying to be a better person so I actully hope that you never experience anything of the sort.

Think before you post... you never know who's heart you might be breaking.

Richard Butler,
Knoxville, TN, U.S.
 
Dear Stuart,
Thank you for you grace in response to my comments. I guess the Red Cross class does not factor in being in a remote location with no little chance of assitance barring leaving for help. I hope there are no hard feelings for any harshness in my response.
Richard
 
Dear everyone,

This is a message board, why are we writing letters?

Yours curiously,

Godot


Seriously though, dude. It was a tragic loss, and if you genuinly are who you claim to be, then so be it, but, you can't rip into the people here for posting whatever comments they may. You don't have to read them, and you end up going out of your way to read them. It's a sad story but, seriously, don't just join to flame Stu. He clearly had sympathy for you. There were others making jokes, but you picked on him? Whatever I guess.

Just dude, its probably best for you to leave forums alone, and don't go browsing for information.

I'm sorry for your loss however dude.
 
Godot said:
Dear everyone,

This is a message board, why are we writing letters?

Yours curiously,

Godot


Seriously though, dude. It was a tragic loss, and if you genuinly are who you claim to be, then so be it, but, you can't rip into the people here for posting whatever comments they may. You don't have to read them, and you end up going out of your way to read them. It's a sad story but, seriously, don't just join to flame Stu. He clearly had sympathy for you. There were others making jokes, but you picked on him? Whatever I guess.

Just dude, its probably best for you to leave forums alone, and don't go browsing for information.

I'm sorry for your loss however dude.
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Well I thought the issue was pretty much resolved. I had accepted his apology and the board went silent... until you decided to join in.

The only difference between a letter and a post is that a letter has a personal feel to it. There isn't enough of that in the world if you ask me and we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it.

I picked Stu, because as I've said... it's not the casual joke that bothers me, but the insinuation that I "killed" her. That answer that for you? But like I said... I thought that we had made peace and moved on until you chimed in.

As for me searching stuff like this out to respond to... it's really none of your business how I cope with this. Since I no longer get to make Bethany breakfast in bed or pick flowers to bring her at work... it feels like all I can do is defend her in cyberspace and hopefully make people stop and think about kindness in the process. You advise that maybe I should leave the boards alone? The way I see it is if you don't want to be called out by a stranger in cyberspace, the easy solution is to get a type writer. As long as there are people talking about something relevant to my life online, I, above anyone have the right to search it out and respond to it.

Now... once again... to Stu-I'm sorry for for being quick to anger with you and I hope all is forgiven on both ends...

Now that Godot has gotten his chance to restoke the dying embers, maybe this thread can be done with.
 
ILOVEBETHANY said:
Well I thought the issue was pretty much resolved. I had accepted his apology and the board went silent... until you decided to join in.

The only difference between a letter and a post is that a letter has a personal feel to it. There isn't enough of that in the world if you ask me and we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it.

I picked Stu, because as I've said... it's not the casual joke that bothers me, but the insinuation that I "killed" her. That answer that for you? But like I said... I thought that we had made peace and moved on until you chimed in.

As for me searching stuff like this out to respond to... it's really none of your business how I cope with this. Since I no longer get to make Bethany breakfast in bed or pick flowers to bring her at work... it feels like all I can do is defend her in cyberspace and hopefully make people stop and think about kindness in the process. You advise that maybe I should leave the boards alone? The way I see it is if you don't want to be called out by a stranger in cyberspace, the easy solution is to get a type writer. As long as there are people talking about something relevant to my life online, I, above anyone have the right to search it out and respond to it.

Now... once again... to Stu-I'm sorry for for being quick to anger with you and I hope all is forgiven on both ends...

Now that Godot has gotten his chance to restoke the dying embers, maybe this thread can be done with.
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Dude, no need to be so dramatic over my post. Fair enough if you want to pick him out for his 'insinuation that you killed her', but, it seems odd the casual jokes wouldn't bother you if you make such a fuss over Stu's post.

I really don't understand the next bit about getting a typewritter or whatever. All I was saying is, immediately after her death, it isn't the best idea to go searching about forum threads about her as a coping mechanism. The best thing for anyone who has suffered a loss of family or friends is to try and get back to everyday life and mourn in their own time, as opposed to spending hours going on various forums checking topics on this issue and arguing with people over things.

And i'm not "restoking fires" here, i'm just questioning you.

Since you want this thread to die so badly, probably best you don't reply. I'm just explaining myself for you here, and offering whatever advice I can.

Again, i'm genuinely sorry for your loss, I just hope you can find a way to cope with it.
 
ILOVEBETHANY said:
Think before you post... you never know who's heart you might be breaking.
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I think this was a good note to end the discussion on. I doubt many of the posters here can even begin to understand what you've been through, so now that I think everyone's on the same page I'm going to lock this thread on this tragic topic.

Private messages are of course still ok if you guys have more you'd like to discuss.

It sounds as though Bethany was a special girl to have met someone who cared for her so much.

R
 
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