Lightning
A 14-year-old girl died and a woman was critically injured Friday when a bolt of lightning struck their personal watercraft at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

It happened around noon in the "Hideout" area of the reservoir. Daggett County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Susie Potter said the woman was driving and the girl was a passenger on the watercraft at the time of the incident.

The deceased was later identified as 14-year-old Brooklyn Reynolds of Utah County.

Daggett County Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen said the teen was riding with her father's girlfriend and heading back to shore. They were only about 30 yards away from the dock when the freak accident occurred.


"When the lightning hit, they just kind of froze and then fell off of their machines," Jorgensen said.

The girl's father was on another watercraft nearby. Several bystanders sprang into action.

"There was first aid rendered very quickly by some medical people, there was a doctor and a nurse who just happened to be there at the dock and they performed CPR," Jorgensen said.

Unfortunately, those efforts were not enough to save Brooklyn.

The 49-year-old woman, who is also from Utah County, was taken by helicopter to University of Utah Medical Center for treatment. Her name has not yet been released.

Jorgensen said while the father wasn't injured, he was deeply affected by the strike.

"I spent some time with the father after the accident, he's still in shock, obviously, and you can't blame him," he said.