• Question: Is it possible to survive a lightening strike, and if so how?

    Asked by lisaloo to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 24 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 24 Jun 2013:

      Yes! Luck, mainly. Sometimes the lightning misses vital organs, or you only get part of the current flowing through you because you weren’t hit directly. Alternatively, avoid being in places where you could be hit by lightning – standing in a big open space during a lightning storm is a bad idea. Being in a car is relatively safe because the metal of the car conducts the electricity to the ground and mostly ignores you.

    • Photo: Claire Lee

      Claire Lee answered on 24 Jun 2013:

      I actually know a girl who was struck on the head by lightning when we were younger. She was around 10 or something and she was hiking with her family when a storm blew up (we have a lot of lightning storms where I’m from). Lightning hit the ground next to her and bounced up and hit her on the side of the head. Amazingly, she survived, though was badly burnt and spent some time in ICU. (I don’t remember much about the details cause we were young).

      Anyway, she needed some plastic surgery but other than that she was absolutely fine, and she lives in Australia now and is a champion rock climber and is living a great life.

    • Photo: Matthew Pankhurst

      Matthew Pankhurst answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Yes its possible, some people have survived multiple lightning strikes (how unlucky, or maybe lucky are they!). When electricity goes through you, it needs a spot to start from and a place to get out. Everytyhing in between in a more-or-less straight line is burnt. This means if it goes in your shoulder and exist your hip, a lot of vital organs are in the way, and you’re likely to be very very hurt, or dead. It also can disturb the rhythym of your heart, and that’s really bad too. I remember when I was little (I grew up in Australia and we have lot sof thunderstorms in summer, and some in winter.. actually all through the year!) I was told to keep low, don’t stand under tall trees and if the storm is right above you lie face down with one knee bent up. The idea was that if lightning was going to strike you, the easiest way for the electricity to go was into your foot and out your knee…. crazy I know, but it sort of makes sense – better burn your lower leg than anything else I guess!

    • Photo: Robert Woolfson

      Robert Woolfson answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Turns out there’s more than one way to be struck by lightning. Each one has its own good and bad points.

      http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/struck-by-lightning.htm

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