Rancher and 34 cattle killed by same lightning strike in Colorado

A Colorado man and 34 of his cattle were reportedly killed by a single lightning strike.

Rancher Mike Morgan, 51, died Saturday, May 25, while feeding his herd from a trailer in an open pasture 80 miles northwest of Denver, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said, according to ABC News, CBS News and Denver 7.

Jackson County Coroner George Crocket said about 100 cattle were struck by lightning as they surrounded the trailer at the time of the incident, ABC News reported.

“As far as I can tell, it hit him on the trailer,” Crocket told the state-run Colorado Sun media outlet. “The cattle were crowded around the trailer and it hit all of them.”

According to Denver 7, emergency responders were called to the scene at 2:08 p.m. After life-saving measures were administered, Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Steamboat Radio was the first station to report on the incident.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the incident.

Morgan’s family was nearby at the time of the accident. His father-in-law had been driving the truck that was attached to the trailer he was in while his wife was nearby. Both family members survived the incident, Colorado Sun reported.

The National Weather Service (NWS) had previously reported that a storm would reach the Denver area on Saturday, May 25. The source urged residents to seek shelter in the foothills and Font Range and remain there during the storm.

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Morgan served on the board of the North Park Stockgrowers Association.

According to the Colorado Sun, he had previously advocated improving people’s knowledge of ranching across the country.

“We need to educate people on our way of life because they don’t understand our livelihood, the emotional and financial impact,” Morgan told Steamboat Radio in 2022, according to the outlet.