Man Killed By Lightning Strike In Boulder County Identified

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — A man who was killed by a lightning strike Sunday in Boulder County has been identified. He was hiking with his wife in Boulder Mountain Park when the lightning storm hit.

The man has been identified as Peter Jornroth, 36, of Denver, according to the Boulder County Coroner's Office.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from a hiker just before 1 p.m., who said two people had been struck by lightning. The caller said one of the victims was unconscious and not breathing, and a passerby had begun CPR on him.

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Rescuers found Jornroth's 37-year-old wife conscious and alert about a quarter of a mile up the Bear Creek Trail in the 2700 block of Bison Road, the sheriff's office said. Rangers used a defibrillator on Jornroth, and were able to detect his pulse again, but he died after being transported to an area hospital.

Jornroth likely received a direct lightning strike to his upper body, the sheriff's office said. His wife suffered injuries from the electrical strike that hit her husband. She was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover.

More than five rescue agencies and teams assisted with the rescue operation, which took about two hours.