The consequences of a lightning strike on a person. How to avoid being struck by lightning

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Nature tirelessly amazes humanity with amazing phenomena and extraordinary creatures. But along with the sun and the rainbow, there are a number of dangerous and even deadly things for humans. The consequences of a lightning strike can be very diverse, ranging from a small ornate scratch to a fatal outcome.

What is lightning

Lightning is a natural discharge of electricity that occurs in the lower layers of the earth's atmosphere. The first who came to this theory is the scientist and famous politician B. Franklin. In 1752, Benjamin made an interesting experiment. To do this, he tied a kite to a rope, to which he attached a metal key. By running a popular children's game during a thunderstorm, he got sparks from the key. It was from that time that lightning began to be actively studied as an amazing natural phenomenon, and also due to the fact that they quite seriously damaged the power lines of houses and other buildings. According to the theory, discharges of electricity originate between nearby electrified blocks or between one electrified cloud and the earth. As a result, the accumulated atmosphericelectricity and looking for a way out. The lightning strike is very fast, as the discharge reaches the ground at a crazy speed - in millionths of a second.

Multiple zippers

Among other things, there is multiple lightning. This is the same common occurrence, according to experts, even more frequent. Such lightning can have up to 40 discharges with a barely noticeable interval of fractions of a second. The human eye is not able to see such a phenomenon, therefore, it is possible to detect numerous impacts only with the help of a photo recorder. There are gaps between shots when viewing time-lapse footage.

Lightning strikes a person

American scientists conducted a series of studies, during which they received fairly clear data. In the US, lightning strikes about 25 million times a year, mostly during the summer months. They also found out that natural discharges rarely hit people, but, nevertheless, they pose a great danger to humans. According to the latest data, in 12 months, more than 63 people die from a lightning strike, and about three hundred suffer, the consequences of a lightning strike are to blame. In most cases, all of these injuries could have been avoided with simple safety precautions.

What happens when a person is struck by lightning

There are cases in history when people survived after an encounter with lightning, and for some it was remembered only by a few scars and stress.

In most situations, the resulting injuries are incompatible withlife or a person becomes permanently disabled. The greatest danger is that a lightning strike leads to damage to internal organs, while the outer integument of the body looks absolutely normal, without visible burns and wounds. The person believes that he got off with a fright and does not turn to doctors for help in time. During this time, damaged organs in the body begin to become inflamed and bleed, eventually leading to internal bleeding and death.

Hit can trigger:

• vision loss;
• convulsions;
• paralysis;
• hearing loss;
• cardiac arrest.

The consequences of a lightning strike can be unpredictable and long lasting. These include:

• Cataract (After being struck by a discharge, this disease may take several months to appear, so it is worth going to the doctor immediately after the injury for an eye examination).
• Severe sleep disorder.
• Persistent headache.
• Memory problems.
• Irritability and loss of quick thinking.
• Muscle cramps.
• Severe pain in the eyes.

Such long-term effects of a lightning strike may not appear immediately, but this does not reduce their danger.

How to avoid being struck by lightning

There is an opinion - if lightning strikes far, there is nothing to be afraid of. Actually it is not. In reality, it can strike 15 km from the place where it actually rains. Even if you only hear the storm but don't see itno sign of lightning, you still risk being electrocuted.

What to do to avoid being struck by lightning? First of all, make sure that you always know the weather forecast and do not go out during dangerous times. Do not hide from thunderstorms and lightning under trees, and avoid tall or isolated objects. It is also not recommended to be near water during such bad weather.

If you do get caught in a thunderstorm, try to hide from it as soon as possible. The building must be equipped with grounded electrical wiring. If it so happens that there are no houses nearby, or at least a canopy under which you could hide, you can use a car for this purpose. But try not to touch its metal parts. If you are at home, it is best to turn off all electrical appliances, do not use the fireplace, TV, computer or other power tools, and do not talk on the phone. During bad weather, it is recommended to turn off your cell phone. Before going outside after a thunderstorm, it is recommended to wait at least 30 minutes after the last lightning flash. According to statistics, the consequences of a lightning strike are the cause of non-compliance with elementary precautions.

Can a person survive a lightning strike

People have been afraid of lightning for a reason since time immemorial, because in most cases a person dies. Despite such statistics, there are cases when, with a strong blow, some still managed to survive. It happensin the event that a lightning discharge passed through the entire body without hitting the vital organs. And also among the lucky ones were those people who have an individual increased body resistance. A discharge of current that has fallen into a person refers to emergency situations. And the consequences of a lightning strike are more than serious. It is as a result of such a natural disaster that a huge number of deaths are recorded. If we compare lightning with a domestic electric shock, it turns out that the celestial discharge is several times stronger than usual, but the consequences are almost the same.

How to protect yourself from a direct lightning strike on the water

Everyone knows that water is an ideal conductor for electricity. When lightning strikes a body of water, the affected area is about a hundred meters around the point of impact. That is why it is not recommended to swim during lightning, and also to relax near the water. If you stay away from potentially dangerous places, you will never know what the consequences of a lightning strike on a person are. But if you are fishing at this moment or you do not have the opportunity to get out of the water, then there is a chance to stay alive. The fact is that wet clothes, in contact with lightning, repel it. However, you need to get out of the water as soon as possible.

Trees

Hiding under trees is usually forbidden. This is understandable, because lightning always strikes at the highest point, but in fact, you can hide under them and still not know whatconsequences of a lightning strike, only some rules should be followed. As a rule, lightning strikes coniferous trees, such as pine, spruce. Also, poplars and oaks most often become victims of this element. Based on this, we come to the conclusion that it is quite possible to hide from lightning under a low tree that will not be coniferous. If you are in the forest, there is a possibility that even if lightning does not strike exactly the tree you are under, it may strike the plant that is next to you. Since the blow is quite strong, the branches and pieces of wood scatter to the sides with great speed. One of these fragments can easily fly off into a person. Such consequences after a lightning strike are much less common, but still happen.

Also, you should never run. Despite the fact that this is a completely understandable human reaction to any danger, in this case it can play a cruel joke. According to research, moving targets are most often struck by lightning. So if you're cycling, just jogging, or trying to get away from a thunderstorm, it's best to stop and wait out the weather in a quiet place. This way you increase your chances of survival. Also, do not use a cell phone, as discharges from it can attract the elements. Do not stand near power lines, as you know, any electricity attracts lightning. Also, do not make a fire, as heated air has a high discharge conductivity. Metal is also an optimal conductor, so during a thunderstorm it is better to removeany metal objects that are on you. It can be watches, chains, rings, etc.

First aid

Locations of lightning strikes and the consequences of a direct strike can be very diverse, so you need to act as quickly as possible. If a person is struck by lightning and loses consciousness, check for a pulse first. Do not be afraid to touch the victim, as there is no charge in his body anymore. If you do not find a pulse, it is urgent to pull his tongue out of his mouth so that the person does not accidentally choke and suffocate. Next, you need to clean the oral cavity and perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. Of course, first of all, you must immediately call an ambulance or take the victim to the hospital yourself. Every second can count. If he has a pulse and no visible damage, he still needs to be taken to the hospital. As mentioned earlier, despite the fact that outwardly everything is in order, the internal organs of the victim can be damaged, and only after an examination by a doctor it will be possible to say exactly what the real damage and other consequences of lightning impact on a person are.

Some interesting facts

Of course, if lightning strikes the head, then the chance of survival for a person is zero. In this case, the eyeballs literally explode, and the victim instantly dies. In some well-known cases, people fell into a coma and never came out of it. If lightning strikes other parts of the body, thenBasically, it leaves an ornate intricate pattern on the body of the victim, which in itself resembles lightning or a tree. In ancient times, such people were considered marked by God, and the dead were buried with honors.

In closing

Today it is difficult to say why lightning strikes only one person, surrounded by thousands more people. Scientists have not yet been able to identify a common algorithm or people who are predisposed to such strikes. The only thing that can be said with certain accuracy is that every year there are more and more victims of lightning. Therefore, it is important to adhere to certain rules of behavior during a thunderstorm.