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[80hinhiding]

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[JohnRoberts]

Lightning can follow un-predictable paths.  When people are struck by lightning directly, the damage is generally from heating... they can literally be cooked on the inside depending on the exact path the current follows. OTOH, a glancing blow can just be a stinger.

I watched some unpleasant  video presentations from the local power company about lightning, and high voltage power line injuries (somewhat similar).

Some people are lucky, while it's hard to feel lucky after being hit by lightning...at least you have something to talk about.  ;D

JR

 

[zamproject]

Hi

Lightning ground discharge usually cover thousands square meters, if you are the main discharge path there is no way to survive...
If you are at the edge of the "zone" it can be a "cool" experience, everything between is unpredictable... as JR say

So let tell a (short) story

Back in the day (JR  ) we have a summer diner at country house in the terrace with my father and friends.
Sky not good and thunder coming (no rain), lightning VS sound shorter and shorter, saying it's time to go inside...
My father and I staying out longer (we like storm...) and suddenly my ears get a big buzz... million bees, I look at my father and we knew it's too late, all this take half a second then BOOOOOOM.

I won't do the math for ppl here (sound speed, light speed etc...) no need, I was not able to decorrelate both light and sound, but still alive !!! Man what an experience, I just feel the electricity all around in the air but without any shock, only a sensation. I look again my father again (maybe 3 second after) and say, now it's too late, it's over, but maybe we can go inside... I touch his arm and then we get the shock ! We where heavily charged (electrostatic) but not quite the same amount I guess...

Later the neighbour (next house) tell us he see the lightning falling right in the pond 30m away.

And the day after we knew that heavy ground current kill almost all sensitive electronics hooked to the main and phone line all around the (small) road. At 300m a brand new Mercedes have all computers dead (which I don't understand, a car should be safe ?).

I think we where saved by the aluminium railing around this first floor terrace acting like a faraday, as the ground covered with tar and rubber. Also I guess the current have way better flow to find in all the nature around.

So like JR say, I'm lucky and I talk about 

Best
Zam

ps: long time we don't see update in the "electric shock report" thread... CJ what are you doing  8)

 

[JohnRoberts]

yup. being alive to talk about it better than not... that is true for more than lightning. 

JR

 

[pucho812]

People who get hit by lightening often get a perminant fractal pattern on their skin. 

 

[abbey road d enfer]

I've known a fewf people that were burnt by electrocution in power plants. Yes their skin and muscle tissues have sequels but they lived. Those who die are those that had current through the heart. Indeed, It's not the same as being hit directly by lightning, but still 25kV can make a lot of damage.

 

[pucho812]

well it only takes a few millivolts to stop a human heart.  the reason it doesn't is because the body insulates pretty well.

 

[cyrano]

I read a newspaper story some years ago about a Texan farmer who was struck by lightning while riding his horse during a thunderstorm three times in twxo years.

He sued the catholic church as the representative for god...

Intelligence is sometimes a rare thing.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

He sued the catholic church as the representative for god...

I would say He deserves a fair trial.  ;D

 

[mjrippe]

An engineer friend of mine (audio engineer) knew a producer who had been stuck by lightning.  The odd thing was that he could not activate touch sensitive faders on the automation system.  They could run a pass and he could move any fader and it would not record the changes.  I forget the system, but it used capacitive sensing.