A Florida couple who were critically injured after being struck by lightning on a popular Central Florida trail are now speaking publicly about the terrifying ordeal — and the strangers they credit with helping save their lives.
Aaron Walenga, 48, and his wife Clare, 43, were walking along the West Orange Trail in Winter Garden on the evening of Sept. 2 after dropping their three children off at a church youth group, according to WESH 2.
The couple said they had noticed storms in the area but did not remember seeing nearby lightning or hearing thunder before the strike.
Then everything changed in an instant.
Witnesses Charlotte Sachetti Weyand and Amber McManus had just passed the couple when they saw sparks come off a fence along the trail and turned around to find Aaron and Clare on the ground.
One of the 911 callers told dispatchers that the couple had been carrying an umbrella and had both collapsed after the lightning strike.
Clare was not breathing and had turned blue, while Aaron remained conscious but was badly hurt and struggling to move. Good Samaritans immediately began CPR before first responders arrived.
Body camera footage released later shows officers rushing to the scene as bystanders tried to explain what had happened.
The video can be seen in WESH 2’s report here: Watch the bodycam footage and interview
Aaron said he remembers falling face-first and being unable to control his body.
“I couldn’t move my limbs,” he told WESH 2, adding that he was in the worst pain of his life and desperately wanted to get to Clare but could not stand.
Clare’s condition was even more frightening.
Bystanders performed CPR after she stopped breathing, and Aaron later said one of the “miracles” of the night was seeing his wife brought back to life.
Both were rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
In the days that followed, their conditions steadily improved. Clare suffered a concussion and short-term memory loss, while Aaron was left with facial bruising and other injuries. Both spent only a few days in the hospital and are now expected to make a full recovery.
The couple also has a close connection to the Winter Garden community.
Both work at Foundation Academy, where their three children attend school. Aaron teaches leadership and coaches lacrosse and golf, while Clare works in admissions.
Their school community quickly rallied around the family after the strike, while a GoFundMe was launched to help with recovery expenses and support.
For Clare, the experience also deepened her faith.
She said that during the first several days of recovery, she felt an intense sense of spiritual comfort and credited prayers from friends, family and strangers with helping her through the ordeal.
Aaron and Clare have also made a point of thanking the people who stopped to help instead of simply continuing down the trail.
“Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to the four good Samaritans, the first responders, and the medical professionals whose actions helped save our lives,” the couple said in a statement.
The incident also underscores just how dangerous Florida storms can become with little warning.
The National Weather Service warns that lightning can strike miles away from the main thunderstorm and says anyone who can hear thunder is already close enough to be struck. It recommends immediately moving inside a substantial building or enclosed metal-topped vehicle.
Metal objects such as fences do not attract lightning, but they can conduct electrical current over a distance, which is why the National Weather Service advises people to stay away from metal fencing and rails during storms.
Despite everything that happened, the Walengas say they are not letting the strike keep them away forever.
They plan to return to the West Orange Trail one day for another Wednesday evening walk.
