Rancher and 34 Cattle Killed by Same Lightning Strike in Colorado: 'It Hit Them All'

Mike Morgan, 51, died when lightning hit his trailer on May 25 while he was feeding around 100 cattle

A Colorado man and 34 of his cattle have been killed by a single lightning strike, according to reports.

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

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

“As best I can tell, it hit him on the trailer," Crocket said, per state outlet Colorado Sun. "The cattle were bunched up around the trailer and it hit them all.”

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Emergency services were called to the scene at 2:08 p.m., per Denver 7. After life-saving efforts, Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Steamboat Radio was the first to report the incident.

PEOPLE has contacted the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for comment on the incident.

Morgan’s family were nearby at the time of the strike. His father-in-law had been driving the truck 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) previously reported that a storm would reach the Denver area on Saturday, May 25. The outlet urged residents to find and remain in shelter in the foothills and Font Range amid the storm.

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Morgan was a board member of the North Park Stockgrowers Association.

According to the Colorado Sun, he had previously spoken out about increasing people's knowledge of the ranching industry across the country.

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

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