Lightning is weird. It’s not just a big spark. Most people think if you get hit, you just sort of explode or turn into a cartoon skeleton. It doesn't work like that. Honestly, the survival rate is surprisingly high—somewhere around 90% of people being struck by lightning actually live to tell the story. But "living" is a relative term here. The aftermath is a chaotic, multisystem trauma that doctors at places like the University of Illinois Chicago’s Lightning Injury Research Program spend decades trying to decode.
It’s fast.
A bolt of lightning lasts for maybe a few microseconds. In that blink, you’re dealing with temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun. We are talking 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re wearing metal, like a necklace or a bra wire, that metal can flash-melt and sear your skin instantly.
The Physics of a Strike: It’s Not Just a Direct Hit
Most people assume a strike is a direct bolt from the sky to the head. That’s actually the rarest way to get hit. It's called a direct strike. It usually happens to people out in the open, and yeah, those are the ones that are most likely to be fatal because the current goes straight through the cardiovascular or nervous system.
But there are other ways the sky tries to get you.
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- Side Flash: This is why you don't stand under a tree. The lightning hits the tree, but the resistance is too high, so the current "jumps" to the more conductive object nearby. You.
- Ground Current: This is the big killer of groups and livestock. Lightning hits a point, and the energy spreads out along the ground. If your feet are apart, the voltage difference between your heels—what experts call "step potential"—forces the electricity up one leg and down the other.
- Conduction: You're inside, but you're touching a leaky faucet or a corded phone. Yes, people still get hit via landlines.
Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, a leading expert in lightning injury, has spent years explaining that the "burns" people see aren't always what they think. Often, the electricity doesn't even enter the body. It stays on the surface. This is the "flashover" effect. If your skin is sweaty or wet from rain, the lightning might travel over your skin like water over a rock. It blows your shoes and socks off because the sweat turns to steam instantly. The pressure of that steam expansion is basically a small explosion on your skin.
The Lichtenberg Figure: Nature’s Temporary Tattoo
One of the most hauntingly beautiful and terrifying aspects of people being struck by lightning is the appearance of Lichtenberg figures. These are reddish, fern-like patterns that show up on the skin within hours. They look like delicate tattoos or capillaries breaking. They aren't actually burns. They are caused by the rupture of capillaries under the skin due to the electrical discharge or the shockwave passing through the tissue.
They usually fade in a few days.
But the invisible damage stays. The brain is an electrochemical organ. It runs on tiny bits of electricity. When you dump a massive surge of external power into that system, it fries the "software." Survivors often talk about "lightning brain." It’s a profound change in personality, memory loss, and chronic pain. Roy Sullivan, a park ranger who holds the world record for being hit seven times, eventually struggled with severe psychological distress. You don't just "get over" being a human lightning rod.
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Why Your Heart Stops (And Then Starts Again)
When lightning hits, it’s like a massive "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" for the heart. The DC current causes the heart to go into asystole. It just stops.
Now, here is the wild part. The heart has its own internal pacemaker, and often, it can actually restart itself. The problem is the lungs. The electrical shock paralyzes the muscles used for breathing—the diaphragm. While the heart might kick back into gear, the person stays in respiratory arrest. They suffocate while their heart is trying to beat. This is why "reverse triage" is the rule for lightning strikes. In a normal mass casualty event, you help the people who are breathing and moving first. With lightning, you check the "dead" ones first. If you can give them mouth-to-mouth or get them on a ventilator quickly, they have a massive chance of survival because their heart is just waiting for oxygen.
The Long-Term Reality of Survival
Living through a strike is just the beginning of a very long, very confusing road. The medical community often struggles to treat survivors because the symptoms are so diverse. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), survivors report:
- Memory Ruptures: People forget how to do basic tasks or lose years of their life.
- Seizures and Twitching: The nervous system remains "noisy" long after the strike.
- Cataracts: This is a weird one. Lightning survivors often develop cataracts in both eyes, sometimes weeks or months later, because the electrical surge changes the protein structure in the lens.
- Chronic Pain: A persistent, burning sensation in the limbs is common.
Misconceptions That Actually Kill People
We’ve all heard that rubber tires on a car protect you because rubber is an insulator. That’s a total myth. If lightning can jump through miles of air (a great insulator), a couple of inches of rubber won't stop it. You’re safe in a car because of the Faraday Cage effect. The metal shell of the car conducts the electricity around the outside of the vehicle and into the ground. If you’re in a convertible or a fiberglass car, you’re in trouble.
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Another one: "Heat lightning." There is no such thing as lightning caused by heat. It's just a storm that's too far away for you to hear the thunder. If you see it, the storm is close enough that you could be the next target for a "bolt from the blue"—a strike that travels horizontally away from a storm cloud and hits an area with perfectly clear skies.
How to Actually Stay Safe
If you hear thunder, the party is over.
There is no "safe" place outside. None. Not under a porch, not under a golf cart, and definitely not under a tree. Your only options are a fully enclosed metal vehicle or a substantial, plumbed building. If you’re stuck in the woods, look for a "clump" of small trees in a low area—never the tallest tree.
Actionable Safety Steps
- Check the 30-30 Rule: If you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear thunder. If it's 30 seconds or less, you’re already in the strike zone. Stay inside for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
- Avoid Indoor Plumbing: If your house gets hit, the current travels through the pipes. This isn't the time to take a shower or wash the dishes.
- Surge Protection: Power strips don't protect against a direct lightning strike on your home's wiring. Unplug sensitive electronics (laptops, high-end TVs) if a major cell is moving through.
- The Lightning Crouch: If you're caught in a field with no cover, don't lie flat. Lying flat makes you a bigger target for ground current. Instead, ball up on the balls of your feet with your head tucked and ears covered. Minimize your contact with the ground.
Lightning is a chaotic force, and while the odds of being hit are roughly 1 in 15,300 over an 80-year lifetime, the impact is life-altering. Understanding that it’s a nervous system injury rather than just a thermal burn is the first step toward better recovery for survivors. If you or someone you know has been affected, seeking out specialized neurological care is far more effective than just treating the surface scars.