Boy Scout caught in deadly storm shares story of survival

A young Boy Scout is sharing his story of survival and after losing his friend and a mentor when a freak storm knocked a tree into a tent during a recent trip.

Alex Miller was injured during a scouting trip in Minnesota back in July.

During that same trip, Alex’s friend, 13-year-old Christian Sanchez, and an adult volunteer, Nickie Lac, were killed.

Alex Muller is back to school for the first time this week since the tragic accident. His parents say he’s come a long way with multiple surgeries to recover but still has a long way to go before he'll be able to walk again.

Alex had been preparing all year for the Boy Scout trip to the northern tier along the Canadian-Minnesota border. It was supposed to be an adventure of a lifetime.

The group was about to come home after nearly a week of camping, canoeing and hiking. That was when a deadly storm came through the area that night.

“I woke up really early in the morning because it was a lot of lightning,” the 16-year-old recalled. “It was kind of like strobe lights and thunder.”

Alex was sharing a tent with Christian and two other boys. They were all crowded into Troop Leader Nickie Lac's tent when a large tree fell on top of them.

Lac and Christian were killed. Another scout was pinned under a tree.

“The next thing I remember is just Cody shouting, ‘Get out of the tent! Get out of the tent!” Alex recalled. “I kind of just crawled up and sat down right next to Christian. I looked down and my foot was not where it was supposed to be.”

Back home in Carrollton, Alex’s parents got the call about the accident.

The Mullers say communication was knocked out so the scouts couldn't radio for help. A nearby fisherman took some of the scouts in his boat to go get help.

Alex was flown to a hospital, and a rescue team reached the other scouts hours later.

“As a parent, to see your kid suffer, just dealing with everything he dealt with -- it's hard,” said Dennis Muller.

Dennis says his son spent six days in a Minnesota hospital before coming home. But one day after arriving home, he was back in the hospital battling an infection. He still has several more surgeries to go.

But despite the experience, Alex says he still plans to stick with the scouts.

“It may have destroyed my life, but I think that's one way I can honor Miss Lac and Christian,” he explained.

Alex still has multiple surgeries and physical therapy sessions before he'll be able to fully walk again.

Family friends began a GoFundMe account to help with mounting medical bills.