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Motorcyclist dies after hit by lightning
A motorcyclist was struck by lightning and killed Wednesday afternoon while traveling on U.S. 36 in Westminster, police said.
Gary Missi, 46, of Longmont, was westbound about 5:15 p.m. on the Boulder Turnpike just west of Sheridan Boulevard when lightning struck, Westminster police spokesman Tim Read said. Witnesses said they saw a bright flash that sent the yellow sport-bike veering into a concrete median.
Authorities were uncertain whether the bolt or the resulting crash killed Missi, but witnesses said it appeared he took a direct hit.
"According to witnesses, the motorcyclist was struck by lightning while traveling at highway speeds," Read said. "It struck directly, but we're not sure yet if the lightning hit him or the bike."
The lightning left a crater in the asphalt about 12 inches by 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep, Read said.
It was the second fatal lightning strike this month in the north metro area and came in the middle of the National Weather Service's Lightning Awareness Week, which runs until Saturday.
On June 11, Javier Cortez- Perez, 39, was electrocuted by lightning as he walked through the parking lot of the Mile Hi Flea Market in Henderson.
Authorities said a thunderstorm blew through Westminster about the time of Wednesday's strike.
After getting struck, Missi crashed into a median and slid about 150 yards before coming to a stop, Read said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"According to one witness, who was traveling right behind him, she said there was a flash of light in front of her and she saw him lose control at the same time that debris started hitting her windshield," Read said.
Lightning striking a moving vehicle is rare but not unheard of, an expert said. There have been several cases in recent years of motorcyclists and motorists being struck.
Typically, a person traveling in an automobile is more likely to survive a strike, said Gregory Stewart, a consultant with the Lightning Data Center, a research forum at St. Anthony's Central Hospital.
"You can't outrace lightning," Stewart said. "During a storm,
you are so vulnerable on a motorcycle and have absolutely nothing to protect you. On a motorcycle, your height there on the road would make you a little more of a target.
"And wearing a composite plasticlike helmet, it would become more explosive in nature because the lightning theoretically would strike you at your highest point and go right through you to get to the ground," Stewart said.
Lightning season in Colorado runs roughly from late May to October.
Colorado ranks third in the nation behind Texas and Florida for fatal lightning strikes, according to a nine-year comparison study compiled by the National Weather Service. Between 1995 and 2004, there were 31 lightning-related deaths in Colorado, the study showed.
Lightning-safety researchers say that lightning typically strikes at the front and rear of a moving rainstorm. At the first notice of lightning or thunder, go into a building or automobile.
If outside, avoid water, high ground and open spaces. Metal objects, including electrical wires, should be avoided. Canopies, picnic tables, rain shelters and trees are not safe shelter.
In the case of a nearby lightning strike, crouch down, put your feet together and place your hands over your ears - a lightning strike can crush ear drums.
