The Unluckiest Lucky Guy Around

Lightning Strike

The game was a wash out. The players had left the field, and people were clearing the grandstands at last Friday evenings football game in Centerville. The crowds were working their way towards their cars while comments of how intense the lightning was becoming came from those around.

Brian Recor of Oskaloosa had just unlocked the passenger side of this truck to allow his wife entrance and was walking around the front of the truck when there was the flash. It came down his umbrella knocking him to the ground. The next thing he remembers is being helped up and loaded into an ambulance. Brian like many others headed to the vehicles had their umbrella out, so it was a random event.

Brian is sore, but he feels like “The Unluckiest Lucky Guy Around”. Brian’s wife also was injured in the strike, leaving her sore in her back and neck. Brian’s shoes seem to have taken the brunt of the strike, as the bolt blew a hole out each one when it struck him. He’s had lots of people asking him about his experience, and he seems to be mostly happy to tell folks, but mostly he’s glad to be here. We wish him and his wife a speedy recovery.

Some safety tips to help you avoid this type accident are posted by The National Lightning Safety Institute and also by the National Weather Service.

Avoid water. Avoid the high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, power tools, etc. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut. If lightning is striking nearby when you are outside, you should:

A. Crouch down. Put feet together. Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.

B. Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 ft.) to other people.

Posted by on Sep 12 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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