Colorado rancher died with 34 cows in unusual lightning strike

A lightning strike in Colorado killed a cattle rancher and 34 of his cows in Jackson County on Saturday, adding to the death toll from the devastating storms that swept across the United States over the Memorial Day weekend.

The attack killed 51-year-old Mike Morgan on his property in Rand, about 120 miles northwest of Denver, at the end of “branding day,” when community members usually help brand cattle, according to news agencies.

He was feeding hay to cattle when lightning struck him, knocking down about 100 cows. The first emergency call was made around 2 a.m. MT.

“The 32 cattle did not get up again,” said coroner George Crocket The sun of Colorado. “As far as I can tell, it hit him on the trailer. The cattle were crowded around the trailer and it hit them all.”

The National Weather Service had warned that a storm was moving across the Front Range Urban Corridor and urged people to go indoors if they heard thunder.

Morgan’s death came shortly after at least 21 other people died in storms and tornadoes across the central United States over Memorial Day weekend.

Despite the tragedy, fatal lightning strikes remain rare.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that around 50 people die from lightning strikes each year. The probability of being struck by lightning is one in a million. 90 percent of victims survive.

However, when working outdoors the risk may be higher.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control show that there were 444 deaths from lightning strikes in the United States between 2006 and 2021, with deaths most common in the summer.

Most deaths and injuries from lightning strikes were reported in Florida, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Florida is considered the “lightning capital” of the USA. Over the last 50 years, there have been more than 2,000 lightning accidents there.

Since 2006, only five states – Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Washington and the U.S. Virgin Islands – have reported zero deaths.