Mike Morgan, Colorado rancher & 34 cattle killed by same lightning bolt in freak strike during feeding time around trailer loaded with hay.
A 51-year-old Colorado rancher tending to his cattle was killed Saturday along with 34 of his cows and three calves after being hit by the same lightning strike in a freak event.
Mike Morgan of Rand, (northwest of Denver) was feeding his cattle from a trailer when the rancher was struck. He died on the scene after emergency responders tried to resuscitate him, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.
The strike bowled over around 100 head of cattle that had crowded around the trailer loaded with hay that Morgan was feeding them out of, county coroner George Crocket said, killing 34.
‘As best I can tell, it hit him on the trailer,’ Crocket said, the Colorado Sun reported. ‘The cattle were bunched up around the trailer and it hit them all.’
Emergency services were called to the scene at 2:08 p.m. After life-saving efforts, Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene, Denver 7 reported.
Morgan’s father-in-law and wife who were nearby survived the blast, the coroner stated.
The rancher’s wife, Niki, was approximately 200 feet away from Morgan when the lightning bolt struck and it was strong enough to knock her off her horse, according to a Facebook post from His Cavvy Foundation, a nonprofit helping ranchers with serious medical issues.
Both Morgan’s father-in-law who had been driving the truck attached to the trailer survived the freak accident unscathed.
The lightning bolt struck a pasture outside the town of Rand, which is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northwest of Denver, the coroner stated according to NBC.
The incident stunned the small, tightknit community where most everybody knows everybody, Crockett said.
Morgan is survived by his wife Niki and his 17-year-old daughter, Dallas, both of whom are involved in the ranching occupation as well.
The His Cavvy Foundation described Morgan and his family as ‘an upstanding pillar’ in the town of Walden, Colorado.
The foundation’s post explained that Morgan had always been working on a local ranch, which recently afforded the family the opportunity to purchase 300 pairs. Pairs refer to a cow and her calf.
‘Mike’s wife, Niki, has spent all winter calving these pairs out while Mike held down a job at Silver Spur Ranches,’ the post stated. ‘They do what we all do, whatever it takes to make a living, and they do it by doing what we are all passionate about. Ranching…’
The His Cavvy Foundation wrote that Morgan’s family has donated time, resources and finances to its various causes throughout the years.
‘Mike was a loving father and a tender, intentional husband,’ the post said. ‘We will all miss that big ole smile he always carried.’
The National Weather Service (NWS) previously reported that a storm would reach the Denver area on Saturday, May 25. The outlet urged residents to find and remain in shelter in the foothills and Font Range amid the storm.
Lightning causes 2 deaths and 12 injuries per year in Colorado, according to the National Weather Service. During thunderstorms, people in the vicinity are encouraged to take several precautions, including avoiding high ground, staying indoors, and sheltering away from metal objects.
In an average year, about 500,000 lightning flashes hit the ground in Colorado.
