Rancher and 34 cows he was feeding struck dead by lightning

A Colorado rancher feeding his cattle was struck to death by lightning along with 34 of his cows.

Mike Morgan, 51, was giving his animals food from a trailer when the bolt hit him around 2pm on Saturday, said the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

Bystanders and first responders performed life-saving measures on Morgan but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘Our deepest condolences go out to family and friends during this difficult time,’ stated the sheriff’s office.

The lightning hit an area of open pasture near the town of Rand as well as more than 100 head of cattle that were gathered around the trailer filled with hay, said the county coroner, George Crocket.

‘All but the 34 got up,’ Crocket said of the cattle.

Morgan’s wife and father-in-law were close by at the time the bolt struck and survived, he added.

Rand is located about 80 miles northwest of Denver. The death shocked the tight-knit community where neighbors all knew each other, Crockett said.

Morgan was killed as powerful storms caused twisters, flooding and heavy winds in states including Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, over Memorial Day Weekend. The storms have killed at least 21 people.

The system moved from the central US to the East Coast on Monday and grounded flights at John F Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Colorado has one of the highest rates among US states of lightning fatalities and injuries recently, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

No deaths have been recorded in Jackson County from 1980 to 2021, which is the time frame that the National Weather Service (NWS) has tracked lightning deaths and injuries. Within Colorado, El Paso and Larimer counties had the most such deaths within those four decades.

The CDC advises that residents avoid being near windows, porches, concrete, electrical equipment and water during thunderstorms. Meanwhile, the NWS advises staying inside, though people have also been struck while under shelter.

Morgan’s died nearly a year after a public works worker hit by lightning on a soccer field in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, was saved by a cop who performed CPR on him.

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