A Colorado farmer feeding his cattle was struck by lightning along with 34 of his cows.
Mike Morgan, 51, gave his animals was eating from a trailer when lightning struck him around 2 p.m. Saturday, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said.
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,” the sheriff's office said.
Lightning struck an area of open pasture near the town of Rand, as well as more than 100 head of cattle gathered around the trailer filled with hay, county coroner George Crocket said.
“All but the 34 stood up,” Crocket said of the cattle.
Morgan's wife and father-in-law were nearby when the bolt hit and survived, he added.
Rand is located about 80 miles northwest of Denver. The death shocked the close-knit community where neighbors all knew each other, Crockett said.
Morgan was killed when powerful storms over Memorial Day Weekend caused tornadoes, flooding and heavy winds in states including Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. The storms have killed at least 21 people.
The system moved from the central US to the East Coast on Monday, deploying flights to John F Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport New York.
Colorado recently has one of the highest rates of lightning fatalities and injuries among U.S. states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There were no deaths recorded in Jackson County between 1980 and 2021, the time frame that the National Weather Employ (NWS) has tracked lightning deaths and injuries. Within Colorado, El Paso and Larimer counties had the most such deaths over those four decades.
The CDC advises residents not to be near windows, porches, concrete, electrical equipment and water during thunderstorms. In the meantime, the NWS recommends staying indoors, although people have also been affected while sheltered in place.
Morgan died almost a year later a public works employee struck by lightning on a football field in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, was rescued by an officer who performed CPR on him.
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