15 Injured, Dog Killed By Lightning Strike On Mount Bierstadt
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Fifteen people were injured and a dog was killed Sunday morning by a lightning strike on Mount Bierstadt in Clear Creek County.
According to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office, calls came in about the lightning strike just below the summit Mount Bierstadt of at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Responders from the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office, Alpine Rescue Team, Clear Creek EMS, Summit County Search and Rescue, Gilpin County EMS, Clear Creek Victim's Advocates, and Rocky Mountain Rescue responded to the scene.
Some of the victims suffered head injuries and some were knocked unconscious for up to five minutes. All of the victims walked down and five people were taken to the hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
"Some of them were knocked unconscious for a while up to five minutes, some up to 30 seconds; but they were all able to regain consciousness and walk out on their own," lear Creek County Sheriff Rick Albers said.
"The lightning was incredibly close and intense. You could hear it echoing off the valley walls, and in conjunction with the hail just pounding on us -- it was unbelievable, really, it was fearsome," said hiker Alex Denton, who wasn't with the group that was hit.
The dog that was killed remains on the mountain.
