Overview
- Rescuers were notified after the surviving brother reached service and called authorities, and teams located Craig Nelson and pronounced him dead following the storm that struck on Saturday, July 18.
- Nelson, 59, collapsed roughly 20 feet from his brother after continuing toward the east summit while the pair had already noticed shifting weather, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
- Search-and-rescue crews and a Department of Public Safety helicopter were dispatched to the ridge, and ski patrol later helped escort the surviving hiker off the mountain.
- Salt Lake County officials say the case remains under investigation and that the local medical examiner will make the formal determination of cause and manner of death.
- The National Lightning Safety Council lists this as the fifth reported U.S. lightning fatality in 2026, and officials used the incident to renew guidance for hikers to descend to lower elevations, avoid water and metal, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.