A Florida couple were hit by lightning while walking hand in hand – and they hailed a quick-thinking group of good Samaritans who helped save their lives.
Aaron Walenga, 48, and his wife of 17 years, Clare Walenga, had just dropped their kids off at church and were walking along the West Orange Trail in central Florida when they were struck by the bolt on Sept. 2, WHSV reported.
CPR was given to Clare Walenga, 43, after she was struck, while Aaron was hospitalized, but both survived the near-death experience thanks to the actions of four pals on their weekly running club.
“There were so many miracles that we witnessed from Claire being brought back to life to, the four of you being there on that trail at that time,” Aaron said Saturday.
Aaron and Clare Walenga were struck by the lightning bolt – even though they didn’t hear any signs that a storm was brewing.
But luckily for them, Charlotte Sachetti Weyand and Amber McManus were nearby when the lightning struck – and they called 911.
Meanwhile Michael Weyand realized Clare Walenga’s skin was blue, prompting him to start life-saving measures.
“I’ve never seen anybody that color in my life before,” he told WKEG.
“I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn’t.”
“Instinctually I started to CPR, which instinctually is not something I do every day,” he told WHSV.
“I’ve never done CPR before in my life. But in that moment, I knew I had to start.”
Aaron Walenga was unable to help his wife – a mom of three – due to the sheer amount of pain he was in.
“I wanted to get to Clare, and I just couldn’t get up,” he told WKEG.
“I couldn’t really move, and I was in the worst pain of my life.”
Clare Walenga was given chest compressions and she took a “massive breath” just before mouth to mouth was about to be administered.
“I don’t know how to describe the feeling,” Tiffany Roby, who was also at the scene, said.
Clare and Aaron, who live in Apopka, were hospitalized. She suffered a concussion while he had bruises on his face.
The couple couldn’t thank the Good Samaritans enough for helping save his wife.
“There were so many miracles that we witnessed from Claire being brought back to life to, the four of you being there on that trail at that time,” he said.
“The gift of life that we have is just so beautiful,” Clare said.
A fundraiser was created for the couple and more than $65,000 has been raised.
Relatives said on Sept. 4 that Clare had made “significant progress” just two days on from the lightning strike.
“We have seen God answer so many prayers, and Clare and Aaron have come a long way in such a short amount of time,” they said.
“We remain hopeful and thankful as they continue on the road to recovery.”
The odds of being struck by lightning each year are less than one in a million, and almost 90% of lightning strike victims survive, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says.
But there have been a string of lightning-related fatalities in recent months.
Earlier this month Matthew Jenkins, 20, died after being struck by lightning – days after moving to Florida to attend the Disney College Program.
Utah dad Steve Matheson was struck helping some Florida boaters that had gotten into difficulty while at sea – before he died of his injuries.
Last month, Florida mom Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her daughter, Kennedi, 2, were struck by lightning in front of their husband and dad.
