Injuries that can occur when struck by lightning
Lightning strikes can cause eardrum, bone and soft tissue injuries, burns or death due to excessive current.
Thunderstorms are common during the rainy season. Lightning forms as a result of raindrops and ice colliding within a cloud, causing an excess of negative charge at the bottom of the cloud. This charge is so strong that it repels electrons (negatively charged particles) on the ground below. A single lightning bolt can be up to 5 miles long and heat the surrounding air to nearly 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,700 degrees Celsius) – about five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
There are many things that can happen when you are struck by lightning. First, as the lightning passes through your body, your hair and clothing catch fire and burn. If you are wearing metal objects like necklaces, they will conduct electricity and cause third-degree burns or more. The lightning entering your body and exiting through your feet can knock your shoes off. According to the National Weather Service, the force of the lightning blast alone is enough to break bones or cause soft tissue injuries.
Lightning creates a loud sound that can rupture eardrums, causing hearing loss. Blood vessels damaged by electricity and heat form scars on the skin called Lichtenberg figures. These scars branch out across the human body like the branches of a tree following the path of the electric current through the body.
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| Lightning strikes can cause eardrum, bone and soft tissue injuries, burns or death due to excessive current. Illustration photo |
Lightning strikes can also leave victims temporarily or permanently paralyzed. Some survivors have experienced personality and mood changes and memory loss. In 2013, Betsy Smith, who was struck by lightning while on a cliff in Utah, was one of the few survivors.
"I thought my body was 'soup' inside my clothes," Betsy Smith said. She was immobile for 45 minutes after being struck by lightning, her left arm severely burned. One of Betsy Smith's fingers later became so gangrenous that doctors had to amputate it.
How to avoid lightning strikes
According to John Jensenius, a lightning safety expert with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the best way to stay safe during a thunderstorm is to take shelter inside a car or enclosed building. If that’s not possible, find another way to avoid being outside during lightning.
“Avoid standing under trees, and stay away from wet and metal objects,” Jensenius adds. Even wet sand can conduct the current from a lightning strike.
You must wait 30 minutes after the last thunderclap before leaving the shelter. This is because lightning can strike the ground even when the sky is clear and the center of a storm is 10 miles away.
