Lightning on Colo. mountain sends 3 hikers to hospital

GEORGETOWN, Colo. (AP) - Lightning struck near the top of a more than 14,000-foot mountain popular with hikers, sending three people to hospitals and killing a dog, Colorado authorities said.

The victims were among about a dozen people who were just below the summit of Mount Bierstadt when lightning struck around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. A total of eight were injured, most of them knocked off their feet likely after being shocked indirectly by the lightning through the ground, said Dawn Wilson, a spokeswoman for Alpine Rescue, one of several groups that responded.

One hiker taken to the hospital was in serious condition Sunday while the two others were described as having non life-threatening injuries. Their conditions on Monday weren't clear.

Rescuers and an Army National Guard helicopter responded to the mountain about 40 miles west of Denver, and helped some hikers get off the mountain. All those who were on the mountain made it off safely.

Eight adults were transported from the trailhead: five who refused further treatment and three who were taken to Denver-area hospitals, the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office said.

Colorado has over 50 mountains that rise more than 14,000 feet above sea level, and some hikers try to climb as many as they can.

The summits are usually rocky and exposed, making them prone to lightning strikes from thunderstorms that frequently develop on summer afternoons. Hikers sometimes start before dawn so they can be off the tops by the afternoon.

Mount Bierstadt, named for the western landscape painter Albert Bierstadt, is one of the most popular to climb because the top can be reached after a 3-mile hike from a mountain pass accessible by car.

Colorado is one of the top states for lightning deaths in the past decade along with Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and New Jersey.