It’s faster than a blink. In about three milliseconds, a bolt of electricity hotter than the surface of the sun rips through the air and finds a path to the ground. Sometimes, that path is you. If you’re a person being hit by lightning, you aren't usually being struck by a solid "bolt" from the sky like a cartoon character. It's messier than that.
The odds are technically low—about one in 1.2 million in any given year in the U.S.—but for the roughly 270 people struck annually in America, the "low odds" don't matter much when the nervous system starts screaming. You’ve probably heard that lightning "cooks" people from the inside out. Honestly? That’s mostly a myth. While the heat is intense, the duration is so incredibly short that the energy often flashes over the outside of the body rather than melting internal organs. This is called "flashover," and it’s basically the reason anyone survives at all.
The Brutal Physics of the Strike
When we talk about a person being hit by lightning, we have to talk about the different ways it actually happens. It isn't always a direct hit to the head. In fact, direct strikes are relatively rare. More often, people are victims of "side flashes," where lightning hits a tree or a pole and then jumps to the person because they represent a more conductive path.
Then there’s ground current. This is the big killer. Lightning hits the ground, and the electricity spreads out like ripples in a pond. If your feet are apart, the voltage difference between one foot and the other forces the current up one leg and down the other. It’s why cows die in groups under trees; their front and back legs are far enough apart to create a massive "step voltage" gap.
The sheer power is hard to wrap your head around. A single bolt can carry 300 million volts and about 30,000 amps. For context, a standard wall outlet is 120 volts. You're dealing with a force of nature that can vaporize the sweat on your skin instantly. This rapid expansion of steam can literally blow your clothes and shoes off. It’s not uncommon for survivors to be found nearly naked, their sneakers shredded, which leads to some pretty confused first responders.
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What the Lichtenberg Figure Tells Us
If you’ve ever seen photos of "lightning tattoos," you’re looking at Lichtenberg figures. These aren't actually tattoos. They are fern-like patterns caused by the breakage of capillaries under the skin as the electrical discharge passes through. They are temporary. They usually fade within a day or two, but they serve as a chilling map of where the energy traveled.
Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, a leading expert on lightning injuries and professor emerita at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has spent decades studying this. She’s noted that while the skin might show these patterns or "feathering" burns, the real damage is often invisible. It's neurological. The heart is an electrical pump, and the brain is an electrical processor. When a massive external current hits them, it's like a power surge hitting a computer. The system crashes.
Short-Term Chaos and Long-Term Scars
The immediate concern for a person being hit by lightning is cardiac arrest. The heart’s rhythm is disrupted, or it stops entirely. Interestingly, the heart can sometimes "reboot" itself, but the respiratory system—the part of the brain that tells you to breathe—often stays paralyzed longer. This is why "reverse triage" is a thing in lightning strikes. Usually, in an accident, you check on the people screaming first. With lightning, you check the ones who look dead. If you can breathe for them until their brain resets, they have a surprisingly high chance of survival.
But surviving is just the start.
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- Memory loss: Many survivors can't remember the strike or even the hours leading up to it.
- Personality changes: Families often report that the survivor is "different." They might be more irritable, prone to depression, or struggle with "brain fog."
- Chronic pain: The nervous system can be permanently fried, leading to a lifetime of neuropathy.
- Ringing in the ears: Ruptured eardrums are incredibly common due to the literal sonic boom (thunder) happening inches from the head.
I talked to a guy once who described it as a "heavy, metallic thud" against his entire body. He didn't see light. He just felt a weight that shouldn't exist. That’s the pressure wave. Lightning doesn't just burn; it hits you with the force of a small explosion.
Misconceptions That Can Get You Killed
People think a "person being hit by lightning" is safe if they have rubber-soled shoes.
Let's be real.
If lightning has just traveled through a mile of air—which is a terrible conductor—a half-inch of rubber on your Nikes isn't going to stop it. It’s like trying to stop a freight train with a piece of tissue paper.
Another big one? The "heat lightning" myth. There is no such thing as lightning caused by heat. It’s just lightning from a storm that’s too far away for you to hear the thunder. If you can see it, you're potentially at risk. Lightning can strike 10 to 12 miles away from the actual rain core. This is the "bolt from the blue." You think you’re safe because the sun is out, but the storm’s anvil is hanging over you, ready to drop a charge.
The Metal Myth
Metal doesn't attract lightning. It just conducts it. Wearing a necklace or holding an umbrella doesn't make you a magnet, but if you are hit, that metal can cause deep contact burns as it heats up. The real danger isn't the car's metal frame attracting the bolt; it's the fact that the metal frame acts as a Faraday cage, directing the electricity around the passengers and into the ground. (As long as you aren't leaning against the door frame, anyway.)
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How to Actually Stay Safe
If you hear thunder, you are within striking distance. It’s that simple. The "30-30 rule" used to be the gold standard—count 30 seconds between flash and bang—but modern safety experts like those at the National Lightning Safety Council have simplified it: When thunder roars, go indoors.
- Get to a hard-topped vehicle or a substantial building. Sheds, picnic covers, and tents are useless. They provide zero electrical protection.
- Avoid water. Not because water "attracts" lightning, but because it’s a fantastic conductor. If lightning hits a lake, the current can travel a long way.
- Don't lie flat on the ground. This is old advice that’s actually dangerous. Remember ground current? If you lie down, you're increasing your surface area and making it easier for the current to flow through your vital organs. If you’re stuck outside, stay in a ball, but honestly, just keep moving toward cover.
- Stay off corded phones. This sounds like 1990s advice, but landlines are direct wires to the outside. Cell phones are fine.
Moving Forward After the Strike
If you or someone you know has been a person being hit by lightning, the recovery path is rarely a straight line. Because these injuries are rare, many local doctors don't really know how to treat the long-term neurological fallout. It’s not just about the burns. It’s about the "invisible" injury.
The Lightning Strike & Electric Shock Survivors International (LS&ESSI) is a real-world resource that provides support for the unique psychological trauma that follows. Many survivors deal with a sort of "survivor's guilt" or a paralyzing fear of storms that borders on PTSD.
Actionable Steps for Safety and Recovery
- Audit your outdoor habits: If you're a hiker or golfer, download a high-quality radar app with lightning strike alerts (like My Lightning Tracker or WeatherBug). Don't wait for the first drop of rain.
- Check your home: Ensure your house is properly grounded. Lightning can enter through plumbing, electrical wiring, or even cable lines.
- Seek specialized care: If a strike occurs, even if the person seems "fine," a full neurological exam and an EKG are non-negotiable. The heart can throw an arrhythmia hours after the event.
- Documentation: For survivors, keep a symptom journal. Because memory loss is so prevalent, tracking when headaches, dizzy spells, or "brain fog" occur can help specialists pinpoint the damage.
Lightning is a chaotic, beautiful, and terrifying force. It doesn't have a brain; it's just physics trying to find a balance. By understanding how a strike actually moves and what it does to the human frame, you move from a place of myth-based fear to actual, practical preparation. Stay inside when the clouds turn that specific shade of bruised purple. It’s the only way to be sure.