A funeral will be held Tuesday for a woman who was struck and killed by lightning just moments before her boyfriend planned to propose.
WATE-TV reports Richard Butler and Bethany Lott were hiking in the western North Carolina mountains when the incident happened.
Butler says, "Everything went black. I was spun 180 degrees, thrown several feet back. My legs turned to jelly, my shoes were smoking and the bottom of my feet felt like they were on fire."
For a moment, Richard Butler thought he was the only one hit by the bolt of lightning.
His feet are still so swollen, he had to cut off part of his tennis shoe, but it was Richard's girlfriend 25-year-old Bethany Lott that took the direct hit.
Lott was hiking just a few feet in front of him.
Butler says, "[I] crawled to her, rolled her over, they say she was gone automatically but i tried CPR for probably 15 minutes."
Butler says they were nearly to the top of Max Patch Mountain, a place Lott was taking him for the first time.
June 4th was supposed to mark the beginning of their life together.
Butler had a ring and was planning to propose.
"I picked that spot because she actually said she would like to get married there. She absolutely loved the outdoors. Her last words, about 30 seconds before it struck us. She turned to me and said 'god baby look at it, isn't it beautiful.'"
Butler says Lott loved nature. He says she saw the beauty in everything around her.
Butler is struggling with her unexpected death but says he is trying to do the same.
Butler says, "I've tried to be mad at God, but I can't do it. I feel like it is my obligation to her to be as happy as I can be and be as productive with the rest of my life as can be and do as much good as she would've done."
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