The other night on Discovery Channel, two women were interviewed who had been struck by lightning. One was walking along, minding her own business, when suddenly she said, the world appeared to turn white in front of her and her skin became incredibly hot. The other woman was sitting on a beach with her feet dug deeply into the sand when she was struck by an unexpected bolt of lightning.
Pictures of the first woman were shown while she was in the hospital. Her skin everywhere had turned bright red as if she had an intense sunburn. She told the interviewer that all of her skin ended up peeling off. They also showed a picture of a spidery pattern that appeared on her back, similar to one shown from this other website. (http://dangthatscool.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/lightning-flowers.jpg)
It is amazing that she and the man in this photo survived as 30 percent of people struck by lightning die and 70 percent have some permanent residual damage. The scientists on the show explained what happens when person is struck by lightning and how our skin can help one survive being hit.
How lightning works:
During a storm, moisture accumulates to form clouds. Updrafts and downdrafts of air cause cooling. Ice particles form and a static electric charge builds up similar to what happens when you rub the carpet in your house as you walk in your socks.
In the clouds, the charges separate so that the positively charged particles rise to the top and the negatively charged ones drop to the bottom. In the right conditions, the negative charged particles are attracted to positively charged tall objects on the earth such as trees, buildings and sometimes people and strike the object with a tremendous release of heat and energy.
How lightning causes injury:
● Direct strike: occurs when the person is outside holding or wearing a metal object i.e. an umbrella or even a hairpin in one’s hair.
● Flash discharge: can occur from being in close contact to the lightning current as it strucks something else. This can happen if a person is standing under a tree that is struck by lightning
● Contact: occurs if person is touching something struck by lightning like a flag pole.
● Blunt trauma: occurs when a person is thrown from a massive lightning charge release.
● Flashover: is what happens when the lightning tracks along the outside of an object i.e. the body of a car. The energy dissipates and causes less injury then if it ran entirely through a person.
Flashover explains the spidery skin pattern seen when a person is struck by lightning. Apparently moisture in the skin, especially if the person is wet from a rainstorm, acts to attract the electricity to track along the outside skin though some still passes through the person’s body and has the potential to cause great harm or death. Thermal burns can also occur especially if one’s clothes ignite or metal zippers melt into the skin.
Lightning follows the path of least resistance which means every organ and system in the body is vulnerable to damage. Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death.
Precautions to take in a lightning storm (as soon as you hear thunder):
1. Stay inside a building or a car during the storm. Do not touch any metal objects and stay away from doors and windows.
2. The highest object outside in the open is the most vulnerable. Do not stand underneath trees and if in an exposed area, crouch down on the ground with your arms and legs close together and cover your ears.
3. Do not stay at public pools or at the beach if you hear thunder. Lightning can travel through water.
4. If an event is planned and a thunder storm is expected cancel or postpone the event.
According to the National Lightning Safety Institute in regards to lightning: “If you can see it, flee it; If you can hear it, clear it."
If lightning strikes you or someone you know get immediate medical treatment, even if the person thinks they feel alright. Hidden damage may have occurred inside their body and the person needs to be monitored to make sure they do not develop further injury.
Sources:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1278040-overview
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/raging-planet-the-safest-place.html
http://dangthatscool.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/kaboom-lightning-is-spectacular/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0522_030522_lightning_2.html
www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lls/deaths_injuries01.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/lightning1.htm
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele can be read at http://www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles