Matron of honor struck by lightning

HOWELL, N.J., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- On the eve of her best friend’s wedding, a New Jersey woman was struck and killed by lightning in a restaurant parking lot.

Cindy Osler of Howell planned every detail of the wedding, and now, her loved ones are left planning her funeral, The (Newark) Star-Ledger reported.

She and the best man left the rehearsal dinner Friday night to check the windows of their cars when Osler was killed by a lightning strike in the restaurant's parking lot.

"I was standing right there next to her. She said she was going back to get sweaters from the car," said the best man, Dave Tarnowski. "Everybody was so happy, and then it became a nightmare."

Tarnowski said he took a few steps toward the restaurant when he heard a piercing crack and was knocked to his knees. He stood up, looked back at Osler and saw her curled up on the ground.

“She’s scared,” he recalled thinking.

But when he turned her over, he realized she was no longer alive.