Family of man struck by lightning strike on Torrey's Peak says his condition is improving

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A man who was struck by lightning last week at the summit of Torrey's Peak is now recovering at the UCHealth Burn and Frostbite Center in Aurora. 

The family says Adrian Cruces is a 27-year-old soldier from Buffalo, New York, who was visiting Colorado with a friend when they decided to hike up Torrey's Peak Thursday afternoon.

Jake Smith, with Alpine Rescue Team, says Adrian had called for guidance on the trail and was on the phone with a team mission leader when he and his friend were hit by lightning.

"The next thing that mission leader heard was just an incredible loud commotion, the phone dropping, a lot of screaming, and then a few seconds later, one of the individuals got back on the phone and said, 'We've been struck by lightning. My climbing partner is unresponsive. He's foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? I don't know what to do,'" Smith said.

Adrian, who was critically injured, eventually regained consciousness and the two men waited for rescue crews.

Alpine Rescue Team went in on foot and helped with the rescue efforts. A helicopter was used to take Adrian to the UCHelath Burn Center. His parents flew to Colorado from New York and say Adrian is improving.

"It's a miracle because the first time when we saw him, he could not even move. He could not even open his eyes or nothing," Ruben Cruces, Adrian's father, said.

The father says Adrian was wearing a necklace when he was hit. "He has burns on his chest and burns on his legs and on his kidneys. So the kidneys are damaged," Ruben said.

He and his wife, Mary, say there are huge groups of people praying for Adrian. He can now talk and move a bit. The couple has six kids and says this is a rough time for all of them. But they say Adrian is strong.

"I feel very proud of how he's doing, very proud. He's really strong," Mary, Adrian's mother, said.

The couple says Adrian will be in the hospital for weeks. His friend was treated and released.

The family is asking for help with the parents' travel expenses from New York. A link to the GoFundMe post is available here.