Three injured after lightning strike in Rocky Mountain Park
By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 8, 2008 at 2:08 p.m.
Updated July 8, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.
Three people suffered minor injuries Tuesday afternoon when lightning struck near them as they hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, officials said.
The three, who are from Houston, were well enough to walk and were working their way down to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead when they were spotted by park rangers, who'd been alerted by cell phone, said National Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.
A 46-year-old man suffered minor burns to his feet. His wife suffered minor burns to her arm, the spokeswoman said. A 52-year-old man also sustained minor burns to his feet.
All three were treated at the park, and they chose not to receive any more medical attention.
The trio were part of a group of seven family members and a friend who were hiking together when the lightning struck the ground near them, Patterson said.
Staff Writer Hector Gutierrez contributed to this story
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July 8, 2008
2:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
FlyfishDude52 writes:
Wow! And I was at Lawn Lake this weekend. No lightning but plenty of snow... And guess what I was doing there?
July 8, 2008
2:25 p.m.
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sheepherder writes:
I'm going out on a limb here....fly fishing?
July 8, 2008
2:45 p.m.
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FlyfishDude52 writes:
Hey sheep! You're all over it aren't you? Yes indeed I was...
July 8, 2008
2:47 p.m.
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Jimmied writes:
I spend too little of my free time fly fishing in Colorado. I have fished during several storms and often felt like I have and eight and a half foot lightning rod in my hands. Reason should take over in these storms and one should put the rod down and head for cover. But, when the fish are biting, reason is often abandoned. Heck, all activities have risk. I'd rather be struck by lightning fly fishing on some picturesque stream than choke on a pork rind watching Jerry Springer in my recliner.
July 8, 2008
2:58 p.m.
Suggest removal
MarineGrunt writes:
Was in the area over the 4th and we had some wild weather. Hope they find that 4th person and everyone is alright.
A shocking experience, none the less.
July 8, 2008
3:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
FlyfishDude52 writes:
I tend to put the lightning rod down when lightning gets near but have done some pretty silly things in the past winter & summer that I still can't tell my children about.
July 8, 2008
3:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Vector049 writes:
Old news.
July 8, 2008
5:06 p.m.
Suggest removal
TheDenverB writes:
not a fly fisherman...
but aren't fishing rods made of non-conductive materials like carbon fiber nowadays?
i could understand if it was the aluminum-tipped Snoopy fishing rod i had as a kid... but i thought fly fishing rods these days were anything but heavy, conductive metal materials...
that said, you are standing in a freaking body of water so...
July 8, 2008
5:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Scott writes:
TheDenverB,
In a rainstorm the rod is going to be wet. Water conducts electricity. Also, lightning does not necessarily strike the tallest point. It looks for the path of least resistance to ground ... whatever that path may be. :-( A number of years ago PBS had an excellent show on how lightning strikes.
Scott
July 8, 2008
5:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
kirbysfriend22 writes:
DenverB, lightening will hit whatever it wants to. It can hit a tree and jump to a human and it could certainly do the same from a rod.
July 8, 2008
7:10 p.m.
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HolierThanThou writes:
Lightning tends to hit anything that's pointy and exposed. Pointy things focus and intensify the electric field strength at the tip.
If you're riding a horse when a thunderstorm comes, dismount and walk alongside your horse to a less exposed location.
Treeless ridges are not a good place to be. Standing under an exposed tree is a bad idea as is standing under an exposed boulder or cliff. A better place to wait it out is inside a stand of fairly close or evenly spaced trees like a stand of young lodgepole pines.
Low ground is inviting when the bolts are hitting close but stream beds can give you a heck of a jolt because they conduct electric current.
If you hike the Rocky Mountains long enough, you stand a reasonably good chance of getting a jolt from a bolt. It's part of the fun if you avoid those direct hits.
July 8, 2008
10:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
hikingartist writes:
Haha Texans. Get back in your suv and go back to your smelly polluted state.