Fund Started After Tragedy Strikes For Honeymooners On 14er
DENVER (CBS4) - Family and friends of a Denver woman who was killed by a lightning strike while hiking a Colorado 14er during her honeymoon have started a fund in her memory.
Kathleen Bartlett, 31, was hiking on Friday with her newlywed husband Ryan Pocius when a lightning bolt struck them both.
In addition to Bartlett being killed, Pocius, 32, was badly hurt and is now recovering with family after a stay in the hospital.
The strike happened near treeline on Mount Yale in Chaffee County while the couple was descending the mountain. The hike took place on the final day of a week-long honeymoon.
Friends of the couple have started a gofundme page in an effort to raise money for charities Bartlett was passionate about. The funds will also go towards a memento of some sort to Bartlett at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where the couple was married on July 11.
The website describes Bartlett with the following words:
Katie was a unique spirit that left this world too soon. She had a devoted passion for nature, education, the elderly, and animals. She was a dedicated special education preschool teacher and had recently earned her master's degree in early childhood development.
Two other hikers were also struck by lightning on the mountain at the same time but their injuries were not severe.