DENVER — Colorado is a dangerous lightning state, partly due to our outdoor lifestyles, and that danger tragically claimed the lives of the two out-of-state hunters in Conejos County.
The bodies of Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, Utah, both 25 years old, were found a couple of miles away from a trailhead in Conejos County on Sept. 18.
On Monday afternoon, Denver7 called the Conejos County coroner, who said that the two men died from a lightning strike. The official autopsy report will become available after eight to 10 weeks.
Each year, around 300 people are struck by lightning across the country, and about 30 of those turn fatal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There have been 14 lightning deaths so far in 2025.
Data compiled by NOAA show that over 10 years, Colorado had the third-highest number of lightning fatalities in the country, with July being the most dangerous month, followed by June.
El Paso County has seen the most lightning-related deaths, with 10 fatalities since 1980, according to the National Weather Service.
In May 2024, Colorado recorded the nation’s first lightning fatality of the year when a lightning strike in Jackson County killed a 51-year-old rancher and more than 30 head of cattle.
In an average year, lightning strikes the ground in Colorado about 500,000 times, the NWS said.
The ability to survive a lightning strike depends on the amount of current that moves through the body and the time it takes to receive medical attention.
There are five ways lightning can strike a person, according to NOAA:
A direct strike most often occurs in open spaces and is potentially the most deadly. In most cases, the current moves over and along the skin surface, while a portion of the current also passes through the body.
A side flash occurs when lightning strikes the tallest object in an area, and then a portion of that current travels from the object to the victim, typically when the victim is within a foot or two of the struck object.
Ground current occurs when lightning strikes a nearby object, causing the current to travel outward along the ground surface. This type of strike can impact anyone who may be outside at the time of a lightning storm. According to NOAA, ground currents cause the most lightning-related deaths and injuries.
Conduction is when the current from lightning travels long distances in wires or other metal surfaces. According to NOAA, most indoor lightning casualties and some outdoor casualties are due to conduction.
Streamers are electrical paths that form as lightning nears the ground, and while only one connects with the main bolt, others nearby can still discharge. Streamers are not as common as the other types of lightning injuries, according to NOAA.
In 2024, Denver Health published a lightning safety bulletin and spoke with one of its surgeons in the hospital's burn unit. Dr. Arek Wiktor said his center treats up to four patients who have sustained injuries caused by lightning.
“A common thread with these patients is cardiac or respiratory arrest,” said Wiktor in the Denver Health post. “As far as injuries, we see varying degrees of burns, including deep burns that damage muscles, tendons, and bones, and traumatic injuries, such as rib fractures, from being thrown or falling.”
NOAA offers the following lightning safety tips while outdoors:
- Avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top.
- Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.
- If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members.
- If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting.
- Stay away from water, wet items, such as ropes, and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.
NOAA offers the following lightning safety tips while indoors:
- Stay off corded phones. You can use cellular or cordless phones.
- Don't touch electrical equipment such as computers, TVs, or cords. You can remote controls safety.
- Avoid plumbing. Do not wash your hands, take a shower or wash dishes.
- Stay away from windows and doors that might have small leaks around the sides to let in lightning, and stay off porches.
- Do not lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls.
- Protect your pets: Dog houses are not safe shelters. Dogs that are chained to trees or on metal runners are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes.
- Protect your property: Lightning generates electric surges that can damage electronic equipment some distance from the actual strike. Typical surge protectors will not protect equipment from a lightning strike. The American Meteorological Society has tips for protecting your electronics from lightning. Do not unplug equipment during a thunderstorm as there is a risk you could be struck.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.