A young man’s life would’ve ended tragically if not for his girlfriend.

Isaiah Cormier and Juliette Moore camped out at Ruby Gulch, near Nederland, when Cormier, unfortunately, was struck by lighting – claiming his odds of 1 in 500,000

The young teen couple had already noticed the lightning in the distance before Cormier was struck. They were camping around trees at that time – which are known conduits of lightning. But the teens were much more concerned with staying dry from the rain.

Just as Moore had gone inside the tent, she was blinded by a “really bright flash of light.”

When she emerged from the tent to see what was going on, she noticed Cormier lying on the ground.

Moore tried to call for her boyfriend’s attention, but when he didn’t respond, she rolled him over.

When Moore checked on Cormier, she realized that he had no pulse. She immediately called for help and began performing CPR.

Little did she know, this maneuver would be the difference between life and death for Cormier.

With the help of another camper, Moore moved Cormier down to the highway where emergency crews were waiting for them. As Cormier was slowly regained consciousness, his girlfriend explained that he had just been struck by lightning.

To help visualize how lucky Cormier was to even regain consciousness, Dr. Anne Wagner, medical director for the UCHealth Burn Center shared that she treats lightning victims every year. And in the span of her career, only two have ever survived.

But there was also one important factor contributing to his survival.

“He wouldn’t have survived if she didn’t know CPR,” said Dr. Anne Wagner, medical director for the UCHealth Burn Center told CBS Denver. “It’s a super high voltage injury that transfers through the body. It does a lot of its damage under the skin.”

It was also a lucky break that the lightning surge entered the side of Cormier’s neck and exited through his right foot.

The surge completely missed his internal organs.

According to the CDC, lightning is one of the lead causes of weather-related deaths. It affects all regions in the United States but higher incidences are observed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Colorado, where the couple camped in.

While chances of being hit are relatively low, the CDC has released a few safety tips.

The rule of thumb, of course, is “When thunder roars, go indoors”. Seek shelter and don’t stay in elevated places. Never seek shelter under an isolated tree, and stay away from objects that conduct electricity like metal poles, barbed wire fences, power lines, and bodies of water.

Fortunately for Cormier, he was with someone who knew CPR.

Thanks to his girlfriend, this crazy incident only turned into a story that they could laugh about. Cormier even joked that Moore will now automatically win every argument and that she will never have to do the dishes ever again.

Moore also added, however, that we should appreciate the people closest to us whenever we can because they can be taken away from us in an instant.

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Source: YouTube – CBS Denver, YouTube – Pecos Hank. CDC, CBS Denver