A Colorado rancher and 34 head of cattle were struck dead by lighting over the weekend, authorities in Jackson County said Sunday.
Mike Morgan, 51, had just finished branding on Saturday afternoon and was beginning to feed his cows when the bolt hit a trailer he was standing on. He was pronounced dead at the scene after frantic attempts to save him. One hundred cows fell down and 34 did not get back up.
“As best I can tell, it hit him on the trailer,” Jackson County coroner George Crocket told The Colorado Sun. “The cattle were bunched up around the trailer, and it hit them all.”
The tragedy happened at about 2 p.m. in a wide, open pasture outside Rand, a town about 80 miles northwest of Denver in a county bordering Wyoming. Morgan’s father-in-law was driving the tractor that the trailer was hooked to, according to The Sun, and Morgan’s wife was ushering horses into a horse trailer. They were uninjured despite being nearby.
It was the end of branding day, when neighbors and friends get together to round up calves and hold them down while they get branded, the outlet said.
The small community united in grief, signing up to contribute to a meal train and donating money.
“We are also hearing of ranchers in the area and from neighboring counties gathering to help bury the cattle that died,” noted Steamboat Radio, which first reported the incident.
The local livestock advocacy nonprofit Colorado CattleWomen Inc. appealed for “prayers of support” on social media, adding, “The entire ranching community of Jackson County is devastated.”
Crocket told Steamboat Radio that a storm had blown in northwest of Rand on Saturday, and the National Weather Service had warned area residents to be vigilant. Nonetheless, it came on suddenly. Crocket said he had never seen anything like it.
“Our deepest condolences go out to family and friends during this difficult time,” Jackson County Sherriff Jarrod Poley said in a statement obtained by CBS News.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Morgan family,” said the North Park Stockgrowers Association, where Morgan served on the board.
With News Wire Services
