A dramatic event unfolded on September 10th at Dorchester’s Savin Hill Beach when a rare lightning strike left a 31-year-old woman unconscious, her faithful Australian shepherd running away in fear, and a heroic ICU nurse stepping up to save a life.

The victim was out walking her dog Bruce on Saturday morning when a bolt of lightning struck nearby, leaving her unconscious and panting, and causing her dog to be frightened and run away. According to the Boston Herald, little Bruce was later found and returned to the family, but the unidentified woman remains in critical condition at Boston Medical Center.

As noted prior on Hoodline Boston, quick-thinking Tracy Cronin, an off-duty ICU nurse at Boston Children's Hospital, happened to be on the scene. Together with her boyfriend, who is also an ER nurse, Cronin administered life-saving CPR to the unconscious woman for approximately 15 to 20 minutes before first responders arrived

Lightning strikes are a relatively rare occurrence, with only about 300 cases reported in the US per year.