students took shelter under the tree when their lives were changed forever in a flash. 17-year-old alex lamsonter: they were outside in the midst of an electrical storm waiting for a ride home from school and a bolt of lightning hit dane in the head and passed through him striking alex, as well. >> alexander, his clothes are gone, they're just gone and they're smoldering around the edges. >> reporter: teacher ron hanson was first on the scene and feared the worst. >> i was blowing air into this body and all i'm smelling is smoke and i'm thinking his lungs are just burnt right out. >> reporter: school officials performed cpr until paramedics arrived. >> direct strikes are usually fate "early." >> reporter: this doctor was in the emergency room and recalls dane had no pulse for 38 minutes. >> the electrical current from the lightning bolt shut his heart down so he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. he was clinically dead. >> reporter: but doctors managed to save both boys who are slowly recovering. >> when alex finally kind of came to in the hospital, i explained, you know, there's