Hair-raising experiences

[JK]

What's the closest you've come to being struck by lightning?

Half an hour ago, I was walking up to the grocery store, through the parking lot when everything turned purple-white and I thought my eardums were going to burst... Lightning hit a light pole maybe twenty feet away. It was actually kind of cool, being that close to that much power but then I wondered what would have happened if I had actually been struck. Would I go to Heaven? My conscience isn't clean, would my sins and transgressions get me a ticket to Hell or would my confessions of guilt and pleas for forgiveness be heard at the Pearly Gates? If I survived and woke up in the hospital, how would I call anyone? ...because I imagine my cell-phone would have been melted to my hip and I can't remember a single damn phone number without it. Would any of these people in the Wal-Mart parking lot know CPR? What would happen to my fiancee? Would my insurance be worth anything? I went into the store, bought some sandwich stuff and came home. Only then did I realize the most important aspect of this entire ordeal...

I forgot the Dr Pepper...

[DarthMaulRat]

Wow, 20 ft. and you're OK? My friend witnessed a lightning strike about 50 ft. away and got zapped as energy travelled through the ground. The lightning struck one of those giant forest fire watch towers, so maybe that makes a difference.

[Razorback]

My cousin and I were on our paper route (this is when kids were allowed to have them) and it was raining woofies and meow meows. Our routes were close together so we used to do them together (saved time and we would only need to steal one cart from a local shop).

Anyway, as we pushed our cart, and tried to keep the papers covered, everything turned blue and white followed by a frightening boom. It wasn't like other times when I have seen lightning strike close by... this felt like it was right on top of us and we could even smell burning something in the air. I have no idea how close it was but I am glad it didn't kill us. :)

About ten years later, same cousin and I were driving through Daytona, Florida, when a lightning struck about 40 feet in front of our car. That time I saw it hit but we didn't get the same light show as the first time... which makes me wonder just how close the first was and how we survived.

[JK]

Wow, 20 ft. and you're OK? My friend witnessed a lightning strike about 50 ft. away and got zapped as energy travelled through the ground. The lightning struck one of those giant forest fire watch towers, so maybe that makes a difference.

I'm amazed that I can still hear- the whistling in my ears is worse than it was before and I can still recall every detail of the pavement. When I was a kid, a bolt hit a tree that hung over our trailer house- right over the livingroom. I was only four, but I still remember hitting the floor and my mother shrieking and my sister crying.

[DarthMaulRat]

I actually came pretty close at my cousins, when lightning struck his house. I'm not exactly sure exactly why it happened, but a spark shot straight out of the TV we were watching. It was so bright, that I couldn't tell if it actually arced with anything before the breaker blew. Eitherway, a ton of electronics got fried in his house, but luckily their insurance covered it.

[TLS]

I guess people do live to tell about it.
I found this site:

http://www.lightning-strike.org/

[bwdial]

Tampa is the lightning strike capital of the world. I get hit at least twice a week...no biggie. ;)
Seriously, I saw a strike last year that was so close, I could see sparks around the main bolt. I was in the car, and it sounded like someone had fired a .357 Magnum in the back seat.
That was close enough, thanks.

[Razorback]

I remember reading a story, some years ago, about a lightning strike at a golf course that killed 4 people, injured a couple... but the interesting thing was that a bunch of people standing right next to those killed weren't even touched.

[jjcourtright]

Here's the Physics explanation. The amount of voltage doesn't matter. It is the potential difference. So, assuming that the lightning hits the ground, but not you, the thing that is going to zap you is the voltage difference between each of your feet. As I'm sure you know, the ground works just like a resistor, so the voltage drops off as you get farther away from the point where the lightning hit. So, if your feet are close together, less potential difference between your feet = less pain. If your feet are far apart...you die.

Consequently, the best thing to do if caught in a lightning storm is to crouch down like a baseball catcher with your feet as close together as possible.

[acid_soda]

yeah, but doesn't lightning come FROM the ground? it's waht my 7th grade science teacher told me.

i just don't know what to beleive

[ratm1966]

While in the Air Force, I was posted in a perimeter security tower. It was made of metal and had a cement base. A good thunder/electrical strom was brewing so I requested permission to exit the tower and take up an observation post about 100 ft away. My request was denied. As I watched the lightning get closer and closer I decided to un-ass the tower anyways. I had just made it to my alternate location when lightning struck the tower. The explosion from the strike was so powerful it knocked out the power to the surrounding neighborhood.

[acid_soda]

i can't beleive I almost forgot to post this...

a couple of days ago on a trip, a very powerful thunderstorm came through the town I was at.

well, I wanted to get my MP3 player out of the car, so I went to the van, got the MP3 player and started towards the front porch. well, as I was about to open the storm door, I saw a flash reflecting in the window. "oh, that's just any old bolt of.." my thoughts were interrupted by the loudest crash of thunder I had ever heard in my entire life. I ran inside and my heart was going a mile a minute. it was scary. hope I never hear a thunder crash that loud again :(

[FanGirl]

Does this mean your chances of winning the lottery are closer as well?

The whole emergency number thing if your cell phone is fired. Might I suggest in the future to tape your emergency numbers to the back of your driver's license. Also put any allergies and if you know your blood type. Paramedics/EMT's usually go for your wallet and driver's license to see who you are.

Also, the Brits are encouraging everyone to have your emergency contact in your phone under ICE (In Case of Emergency). I'm sure this plan will make it over to the US. You can tape to the back of your phone that the emergency number is under ICE.

This has been brought to you by the Crisis Management Team Leader of the boards.

[acid_soda]

Does this mean your chances of winning the lottery are closer as well?

**looks at lottery ticket**

well...

...apparently not :(

[jjcourtright]

Also, the Brits are encouraging everyone to have your emergency contact in your phone under ICE (In Case of Emergency). I'm sure this plan will make it over to the US. You can tape to the back of your phone that the emergency number is under ICE.
I got an e-mail about doing that the other day. I however will continue to throw caution to the wind and expect that nothing bad will ever happen to me.

[ozchick]

Also, the Brits are encouraging everyone to have your emergency contact in your phone under ICE (In Case of Emergency). I'm sure this plan will make it over to the US. You can tape to the back of your phone that the emergency number is under ICE.


They've been implementing that here too. There's been adverts on TV about it for the last month or so. I received an email about it just after the London bombings, thought it was a good idea, so I've done it. Of course now when my mum calls me on my mobile, it comes up ICE. I like to think of her as Vanilla :)

[Mighty Wingman]

Yo Stop !
Collaborate and listen.
Oz is here in emergency condition...

[ozchick]

Ahhh Vanilla Ice. Is there anything he can't do?

[Mighty Wingman]

Yeah...

Like rap, for one.

...or behave himself on TV.

[ozchick]

What on earth are you talking about? He's a lyrical genius! ;)

[jjcourtright]

No...he's a lyrical poet.
Miami's on the scene just in case ya didn't know it.

[ratm1966]

That whole ICE thing is a good concept, but many emergency agencies are recommending against it.

1. No paramedic is gonna take the time to access your cell phone's contacts to make a call; they will be too busy trying to save your life.

2. Most people have their security code enabled; this will prevent a paramedic from accessing you contact's list and from making a call unless they know your security code.

3. Since most people wear their phones, if the accident was bad enough to seriously injure you, your phone peobably didn't survive in tact.

4. Just about every cell phone out there has a different way of accessing the contacts list from every other type of phone. A paramedic isn't gonna take the time to learn how to operate your phone.

The main recommendation is to have a card in your wallet or billfold with emergency contact numbers. Once you have been taken care of and delivered to the hospital, the hospital personnel will go through your belongings in an attempt to ID you. If this card is with your ID, there is a better chance they will call the person on it.