Lightning strike kills Colorado rancher and 34 head of cattle

DENVER — A lightning strike killed a Colorado rancher and 34 head of cattle last weekend, officials said Sunday.

Mike Morgan, 51, was feeding his livestock from a trailer when he was struck and died at the scene despite life-saving efforts, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

The lightning bolt struck a wide-open pasture outside the town of Rand, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northwest of Denver, said George Crocket, the county coroner.

The strike also affected about 100 cattle that had gathered around the trailer loaded with hay, Crocket said. “All but the 34 stood up,” he said.

Morgan’s father-in-law and wife were nearby but survived the blast, Crocket said.

The incident stunned the small, close-knit community where almost everyone knows everyone else, Crockett said.

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Bedayn is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.