A Colorado rancher and nearly 35 of his cattle were killed after they were struck by a single lightning strike.
ABC News reported that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the rancher was identified as 51-year-old Mike Morgan.
Authorities say Morgan was feeding his cattle from a trailer near Rand, Colorado on Saturday, May 25, when he was struck by lightning. He succumbed to his injuries on the scene, despite life-saving efforts.
George Crocket, the Jackson County coroner, revealed that the lightning stuck on wide open pasture. The strike also bowled over close to 100 head of cattle that had bunched around Morgan’s trailer at the time. “All but the 34 got up,” he explained.
Crocket also stated that Morgan’s father-in-law and wife were nearby when the lightning strike occurred. Both of them survived. He further noted that the tragic incident stunned the Rand community where everyone knows everyone.
In a statement to CBS News, the Jackson County Sherriff, Jarrod, Poley, said, “Our deepest condolence go out to the family and friends during this difficult time.”
According to the CDC, lightning strike deaths are seemingly rare. Between 2006 and 2021, there were 444 lightning strike deaths in the U.S., with males being four times more likely than females to be struck. The average age of a person struck by lightning is 37. Lightning deaths are also more likely to occur in the summer months, with July having the most deaths.
A Total of 100 People Were Killed By Lightning in Colorado Between 1980 and 2021
According to data conducted by The National Weather Service, a total of 100 people were killed by lightning in Colorado between the years 1980 and 2021.
Of those 100, 76 males were killed while 16 females were killed. A total of 8 unknowns were also killed. Also in that time period, 488 people were injured, with 204 being male, 70 being female, and 215 unknown.
“Based on data since 1980, lightning causes 2 fatalities and 12 injuries per year in the State of Colorado,” The National Weather Service observed. “El Paso county has the most number of lightning casualties (fatalities + injuries). In an average year, about 500,000 lightning flashes hit the ground in Colorado.”
The National Weather Service also pointed out that Colorado is ranked 19th in the nation with respect to the number of Cloud-to-Ground (CG) lightning flashes (2009-2018).
“When you look at the average Cloud-to-Ground flash density over the state, Colorado ranks 32nd in the Nation. The average flash density over the entire state of Colorado is 4.8 Flashes per kilometer squared (per 2009 – 2018 data).”