| According to the National Weather Service, there | | | | There are five ways in which a person can be |
| is an average of 87 lightning-related fatalities each | | | | struck by lightning: direct strike, side splash, |
| year. Unfortunately, many feel that the number | | | | contact voltage, ground current, and shock. A |
| of deaths due to lightning is underreported by as | | | | direct strike is when a person is directly struck by |
| much of 30%. If this is true, there are really 120 | | | | the lightning bolt. The current goes directly from |
| to 125 deaths due to lightning every year. | | | | the cloud to the person to the ground. Side splash |
| Of the people struck, roughly 10% die. That | | | | is when the lightning strikes something near a |
| leaves the others struck by lightning to deal with | | | | person and then jumps to the person. Contact |
| various degrees of disability. Frequent problems | | | | Voltage involves the victim touching an object |
| associated with lightning injuries include memory | | | | that has been struck by lightning. |
| loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, | | | | Ground current strikes occur when a person |
| and dizziness. If the strike causes the person to | | | | stands near an object and that object spreads |
| black out or stops the person's heart, brain | | | | the voltage out along the ground. This can occur |
| damage is possible as well. | | | | when a tree is struck and the root system |
| While it would seem like lightning would cause | | | | distributes the charge to people standing in the |
| serious burn injuries, most of the time the | | | | area. For this reason, people are encouraged not |
| lightning strikes do not cause substantial burns. | | | | to seek shelter under trees during storms. Shock |
| Burns on a person's body following a lightning | | | | is not a direct or indirect hit. Basically, it is the |
| strike are typically caused by other objects on | | | | lightning bolt's shock wave injuring a victim without |
| the victim. Rainwater, sweat, metal coins, | | | | actually electrifying him or her. |
| necklaces, and other objects all heat up and burn | | | | Statistics show that men are struck four times as |
| the victim. Typically, lightning injures the nervous | | | | frequently as women. Lightning is the second |
| system. The brain, auto nervous system such as | | | | most deadly form of weather after floods. It is |
| nerves, and peripheral nervous system are all | | | | estimated that up to half of all deaths from |
| injured. | | | | lightning occur on golf courses. |