A Wisconsin couple's hike in Kettle Moraine State Forest turned catastrophic in August 2025 when a lightning strike left Nick Broderick without a pulse — and led to a marriage proposal that neither he nor his girlfriend, Eva Broderick, could have anticipated.
The pair were roughly 2 miles from their vehicle when the weather deteriorated, according to an account Eva Broderick gave to Good News Network. With no shelter available, they pressed on toward the parking area. At one point Eva turned to Nick and asked, "What if we get struck by lightning?" she recalled to Good News Network.
Moments later, a boom sounded. A nearby tree absorbed the brunt of the strike, but ground current reached both hikers. Nick was left rigid and unresponsive.
"All I remember was being curled in a fetal position with my hands over my ears, screaming, I think, and feeling what can only be described as electricity in my feet," Eva Broderick told Good News Network.
She then described turning toward Nick: "I was curled into Nick, and I looked over. He was laying on his back, his eyes were half open, glazed over, and he was blue and not breathing," she told Good News Network.
Eva called 911 and began CPR immediately, but the signal was weak and she could not convey their precise location on the trail. Search and rescue teams required 50 minutes to reach them. During that interval, Eva restarted Nick's heart twice.
Nick survived. He spent three days in the hospital and was discharged with limited aftereffects: minor hearing loss in one ear and damage to a tendon.
Upon leaving the hospital, Nick proposed. The couple chose to reclaim the month of August by marrying nearly one year to the day after the strike that nearly killed them both.
Eva Broderick, who received a lifesaving award from the Palmyra Fire Department, later reflected on the ordeal in an interview with Action News 5. "I've made the joke quite a few times that he can't leave me. I brought him back from death, so he's kind of stuck," she told the outlet.
The Brodericks' experience underscores the dangers of sudden weather shifts during outdoor recreation and the critical role bystander CPR can play when emergency responders face delayed access. Their story has circulated widely as an example of both survival and commitment.