A flash, then biker is dead

A motorcyclist was struck by lightning and killed while riding in rush hour traffic between Denver and Boulder, police said.

Gary Missi, 46, of Longmont was traveling west on U.S. 36 in Westminster about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday 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. Missi was pronounced dead at the scene.

"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.

A coroner's investigation was under way to determine whether the lightning bolt, the collision or something else caused his death, Read said.

It was the second fatal lightning strike this month in the 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 being struck, Missi crashed into a median and slid about 150 yards before coming to a stop, Read said.

"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, 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."

From the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, June 23, 2006