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Lightning Strikes

Woman Struck by Lightning

She's Now on the Road to Recovery

June 3, 2004 — There is good news for the 20-year-old woman struck by lightning on Tuesday.


Michelle Durinzi was released from the hospital today, with a bandage still around her head, but well on the road to recovery. Durinzi was struck by deflected lightning in the head as she sat outside the Holiday Inn in West Chester.

"The electricity went in through her head and came out through her feet."

By all accounts, it's a miracle 20-year-old Michelle Durinzi is around to tell her story. Two days ago, the West Chester Holiday Inn administrator was on break near a tree when struck by lightning during a passing storm.

Michelle Durinzi/LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVOR:
"Heard some thunder, saw some lightning and woke up in a helicopter."

The lightning left Michelle in cardiac arrest.

"That alone is scary. I was dead."

A colleague who had been an EMT 20 years ago, determined Michelle had stopped breathing and had no pulse. Using CPR, he revived her in minutes.

Michael Durinzi/FATHER:
"It's amazing he saved her life and brought her back to us"

It's miraculous as well that a battery of tests show no organ or brain damage especially when you consider lightning carries 10 to 120-million volts of electricity and can be as hot as 55-thousand degrees.

"Do you have any injuries?"

"I have a hole in my head. My neck is burned, everywhere there was metal is burned."

No signs of paranormal powers have surfaced. But Michelle is a source of amazement even among hospital staff.

"They're amazed. Nurses come in saying 'may I touch you. You're blessed'. People have been calling for lottery tickets. They want numbers."
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http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/060304_nw_lightningstrikes.html
 
Man Survives Lightning Strike in D.C.

Updated: Thursday, Jun. 17, 2004 - 8:05 PM

WASHINGTON -- A man was struck by lightning Thursday afternoon and lived to tell about it.

D.C. Fire and EMS says the 39-year-old man was near the Lincoln Memorial and ran under a tree at about 5:30 p.m. when the heavy rain began. Spokesman Alan Etter says that's not usually a good idea during a thunderstorm.

The man was hit by lightning, and lost consciousness for a while, but paramedics say his heart never stopped beating.

An off-duty U.S. Secret Service agent began first aid to help him start breathing until paramedics arrived.

Paramedics say except for and an entrance wound in his abdomen and an exit wound in his right foot, it looks like he'll be fine.
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http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=214493
 
Bizarre lightning strike


Bizarre lightning strike


(Woodstock) - Lightning can strike in many different ways, a fact that the Ruggeri family from Woodstock have learned the hard way.

Lighting landed near their new home at about four o'clock this morning and managed to damage their foundation.

The lighting that started the fire at the Ruggari home didn't hit the house directly, but it pounded the house as it made it's way along the landscape.

The lighting actually came in from underground to hit the foundation.

The Ruggeri's smelled smoke fifteen to twenty minutes after the lightning storm passed and called 9-1-1.

The first crews arrived within seven minutes.
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http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=1994562
 
LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE? IT DID FOR US!


10:30 - 06 July 2004

A couple today told of their dramatic escape after lightning struck their home - for the second time in three years.

Karl Kay and Susan Womphrey were cooking dinner in their terraced cottage when they heard a loud crashing sound upstairs.

Within seconds bricks, roof tiles and rubble began falling around them as they cowered with their hands over the heads.

They eventually managed to escape into the street to find most of their 8ft chimney had been destroyed and much of their roof had collapsed.

Remarkably, neither Mr Kay or Ms Womphrey were injured in the incident, which happened at about 6.15pm yesterday.

However their home, in Lincoln Road, Welton, will take months to rebuild.

The couple today said they could barely believe what had happened - particularly since their last home in Cleethorpes was also hit by lightning three years ago.

"Out of a village of 3,000 people if someone was going to get hit by lightning it was bound to be us," said Mr Kay (40), a council officer.

"We recognised it straight away and the bricks and rubble started to shower down," he said. "But it is the first time in my life I have had to put my hands over my head to protect myself - it was like an explosion."

Ms Womphrey (35) said the experience had been frightening.

"We thought the whole house had fallen in by the noise at the time," she said.

"Our cat Clemency was fast asleep in the back bedroom when it happened and she slept through it all. She was found by firefighters and is OK.

"We now have to set about meeting insurers to get the mess cleaned up."

After the lightning strike firefighters cordoned off the house to protect passers-by from falling rubble.

They placed tarpaulin sheets on the roof overnight to stop any further damage from rain.

Sub Officer Chris Hides was one of the first at the scene.

"Our job has been to make the area safe as there was a lot of falling rubble," he said.

"Obviously one of the firefighters also rescued the cat from the house which we found asleep in one of the bedrooms."

Dozens of villagers lined the area cordoned off by tape to watch the rescue operation.

In addition, 2,000 homes were left without power after lightning struck a live electrical pole.

The strike was also felt two doors down at the Black Bull pub where many people later retreated while the power was off.

Pub chef Sarah Rickells (34) also received an electric shock.

"I was in the pub kitchen leaning on a metal work top when the lightning struck," she said.

"I got a shock which lifted me more than an inch off the floor.

"I am OK but I was shaken."

Engineers finally restored power by 9.40pm.

Today a spokesman for Ladbrokes bookmakers in Lincoln said Mr Kay and Ms Womphrey has been incredibly unlucky to get struck twice.

"We have never taken a bet on lightning striking twice and you could name your price on that one," he said.

"We would give you 10 million to one on that as you would have to be doubly unlucky for it to strike you twice."
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http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?command=newPage&nodeId=156129&contentPK=10543870
 
Thunderbolts kill 22 people in Chinese province this year

BEIJING (AFP) Jul 11, 2004
Thunderbolts have killed 22 people and injured 56 so far this year in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou alone, state media reported Sunday.

In the most recent incident, two people were killed and two injured in the village of Ganhe when lightning struck their home, the Xinhua news agency said.

A farmer working in the fields in Pingtang county was also killed in a sudden thunderstorm, as shocked witnesses described how the lightning tore his clothes to rags, according to the agency.

Guizhou has more than the average share of thunderbolt deaths, because people in the area are too poor to install lightning conductors, Xinhua said.
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http://www.terradaily.com/2004/040711015322.c25x9s1m.html
 
Lightning Strike Energizes Maine Man

Fri Jul 23, 7:40 AM ET


MADISON, Maine - A Madison man who was struck by lightning this week says he feels "lighter and 100 years younger" than he did before the accident.

"I'm feeling like my body is light. It's the best I've probably felt as far as energy in 10 years," said John Corson, 56, the day after he was struck by lightning while working outside his home.

Corson thought the afternoon thunder-and-lightning storm had passed his home, and had gone outside to work on a renovation project when the lightning hit him.

"It was like a whitish-blue, but it was so bright," Corson said. "I actually heard the snap, but I was paralyzed. It was like my whole body was just vibrating. It was like, a hell of a sensation. It was like chest pain, with someone's hand on my chest."

The lightning left redness around his shoulders, he said. The bolt went through his body and tripped three breakers in the garage.

"My knees buckled. I was able to straighten out," he said. "Then I was dumbfounded. Just dumbfounded."

Corson, who has had three cardiac surgeries, spent eight hours at Redington-Fairview General Hospital after the accident while doctors tested his blood for any effect on his heart.

He thanked both AMS Ambulance and the staff at Redington-Fairview for their outstanding professionalism.

Corson said he thought people who are hit by lightning die, and he now believes in guardian angels.

In fact, according to the National Weather Service (news - web sites), most lightning-strike victims survive, although they often report a variety of long-term debilitating symptoms.

An average of 67 people in the United States are killed each year by lightning. In 2003, there were 44 such deaths.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...8&u=/ap/20040723/ap_on_fe_st/lightning_strike
 
Boy dies after lightning strike

A 14-year-old boy has died after being hit by a bolt of lightning in the garden of a Black Country home.

Joseph Wharton is believed to have been camping at a friend's house in Cresswell Crescent, Bloxwich, when he was hit at around 0750 BST on Tuesday.

He was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police in Bloxwich said the death was being treated as "unexplained" and the incident had been referred to the coroner's office.

Supt Bob Bird told BBC News Online: "Although the boy had been camping with his friend, he was on his own at the time the incident occurred."
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BBCi News 03/07/04
 

Lightning strike girl 'critical'

One girl is critically ill and two others are recovering after they were struck by lightning in London's Hyde Park during Tuesday's thunderstorms.

A witness said the three 15-year-old cousins were lifted into the air by the force of the strike at 1740 BST.

A fourth girl who was with them was not hit, but was treated for shock.

West London was worst hit by floods and hailstones which caused chaos on roads, trains and the Tube and is still causing disruption at Heathrow Airport.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics had risked their lives to treat the girls.

He said: "The storm was still overhead and lightning was still coming down while they were treating the patients."

The girl stopped breathing before the first paramedic arrived and is still in a critical condition at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

The other two injured girls are said to be "comfortable" after being kept in hospital overnight suffering from minor burns.
[...]
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BBCi news 04/07/04
 
The BF was playing golf last night when there was still lightning around. :rolleyes:
 
Come on Escargot, it's the way he'd want to go. Just having hit a hole in one, he stands there with his club still raised when... FRAZZLE! ...one barbecued BF.
 
He's just read that! :laughing:
 
Aug 6, 10:31 AM EDT


Lightning Jolts Teen Working on Computer

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) -- A teenager working on his computer was jolted by a lightning strike that hit his family's home.

Mike Bergeron, 15, of Council Bluffs was in the basement of the home about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday when lightning struck the roof of the house, traveled through the electrical lines to the computer and shocked him.

Linda Bergeron said the impact of the jolt sent her son flying about 5 feet backward. His sister was heading downstairs at the time and heard him fall.

"He was unconscious when she found him," Linda Bergeron said.

She said her son spent time in cardiac care at the hospital. He was released Wednesday morning but is going through outpatient care.

"I never would have expected something like this to happen," Linda Bergeron said. "It's a very weird thing."
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LIGHTNING_STRIKE?SITE=VTBUR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 
A quick query: is it possible to have an electrical storm in the morning?
 
I've seen 'em, though come to think of it they don't seem to be as common as electrical storms in the afternoon/evening.
 
You win some

'LUCKY' STRIKE GRAZES BROTHERS


By JEREMY OLSHAN



August 12, 2004 -- Two brothers got the shock of their lives yesterday — when a bolt of lightning just grazed them in a Queens parking lot.

Hector Arrivillaga, 16, and Julian Aquila, 8, were walking hand-in-hand on Merrick Boulevard near 89th Avenue in Jamaica when the younger boy suddenly saw a flash around his brother's head.

"It was yellow and it came down real quick," he said.

Hector felt a severe jolt — then his knees buckled.

"I thought someone had punched me in the head," he said.

Later, when told he'd been hit by lightning, he said, "I told them it couldn't be because I'd be dead.

"I feel really lucky," said Hector.



"I wish I was old enough to gamble."

The boys had been returning from a walk to Toys R Us to buy a video game when they got caught in the downpour.

They ran toward the Jamaica Coliseum mall, but the bolt got them.

Julian started crying when he saw his brother in pain, as the two straggled into the Sneaker King store inside the mall.

"They both came in and the little one collapsed on the floor," said Rocky Chowha, a store employee.

"They were shaken up. We gave them water and calmed them down."

An ambulance spirited the boys to Mary Immaculate Hospital a few blocks away.

They were released after treatment — and walked home in the rain. "Hector told me that maybe now we'll have superpowers," said Julian.
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http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/18558.htm
 
You lose some

YOUNG COUPLE ELECTROCUTED

By JOE McGURK and KATE SHEEHY


August 12, 2004 -- A terrifying flash flood on a Queens street during yesterday's torrential storm engulfed a car as lightning sent a nearby power line plunging into the water — electrocuting a tragic young couple, police said.

"The water came out of nothing," said Mark Anderson, who witnessed the afternoon tragedy at 15th Avenue and 117th Street in College Point.

"They started panicking inside the car, waving their arms."

The passenger, 18-year-old Alana Berenson, of Whitestone, got out of the car.

Anderson saw the live wire in the water and screamed, "Stay in the car! Stay in the car!"

Just then, the waist-high water sucked Berenson under.

When the driver — Joseph Cheetham, 23, of Pittsburgh, who had just graduated from college — saw his girlfriend sink into the torrent, he, too, jumped out of the car, only to be pulled under himself.



He managed to pull himself out and struggled to the front of the car, desperately fighting to get to her.

"She grabbed onto him, and then she fell down," Anderson said. "Then they both got electrocuted.

"It was like a magnet just pulled them down into the water," he said.

After the freak accident, Anderson was trapped in his truck for nearly an hour — waiting for the water to wash away as he watched the headlights of the victims' car slowly fading.

"There was nothing I could do," he said.

"I just yelled at them. Now I'm glad I punked out because I would be dead, too."

Stricken family and friends of the promising young couple said the pair had begun dating last fall after having met at SUNY Maritime College.

"It's just so tragic," Cheetham's numbed mom, Eleanor, told The Post last night. "We're still pretty much in shock.

"They were just starting out life," she said between sobs. "I talked to him last week, and he had passed his qualifiers, and he was all excited."

She said her son was on his way home with Alana after another round of exams when the horror accident occurred.

Her son had hoped to soon start life as a third mate in the Merchant Marine, she said.

The mom called Berenson "a wonderful girl."

"They really enjoyed each other. I think they cared a lot for each other," she said.

Weeping, she said she was not surprised her son went to the aid of Berenson.

"His sister said that he always did have trouble dealing with death," the mom said. "From what I understand, she got out of the car first, and if he hadn't gone to her, he never would have been able to live with himself. It was a very natural thing [for him]." Berenson's father, Bruce, was holding back tears as he talked about his family's loss.

"These were two wonderful kids who left us too soon," he said.

"Our whole family is devastated — devastated is an understatement," Alana's dejected mother, Lee, said.

The deadly wire was a 4,000-volt cable that Con Ed believes was struck by lightning during the fearsome storm, said Chris Olert, a spokesman for the utility.
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http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/18559.htm
 
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/08/19/590967-ap.html

Lightning kills 31 cows in Denmark
August 19, 2004

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - A Danish cattle farmer lost 31 of his 85 Jersey dairy cows when lightning struck the trees under which they had sought shelter during a rain storm.

The cattle were found dead Tuesday afternoon on farmer Kurt Nielsen's land near Assing, about 270 kilometres west of Copenhagen.

"This seems to be one of nature's caprices," Nielsen told Denmark's TV2 network, adding that lightning struck several times Tuesday morning around his farm and the lights went out briefly.

That day, the Danish Meteorological Institute recorded 5,808 lightning strikes across central Denmark.

Veterinarian Johannes Kejser told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper that the cows were killed instantly.

The Danish Insurance Information Service said it had never heard of so many cows being killed by lightning at one time. Nielsen said his insurance company had promised a compensation for the dead livestock and lost milk income.
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Last Updated: Thursday, 19 August, 2004, 11:26 GMT 12:26 UK


Lightning strike man 'critical'

A man is in a critical condition after he was struck by lightning while on a day trip to Cumbria with his family.
The 32-year-old man from Maidstone, Kent, was visiting a stone circle at Castlerigg, near Keswick, when he was struck on Wednesday afternoon.

Members of the public gave him first aid until paramedics arrived and the man was taken by air ambulance to Cumberland Infirmary.

He is currently in the intensive care unit suffering from burns.


A Cumbria Police spokesman said the man was with three members of his family, thought to be brothers and a sister, when he was struck.
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BBC
 
http://www.wgtndailynews.com/articles/2004/08/20/news/news1.txt

Moving vehicle struck by lightning

A local family escaped serious injury Thursday when lightning struck the vehicle they were traveling in.

Investigators say the lightning strike hit with such impact it traveled through the vehicle and knocked a 10-inch chunk of pavement out of the roadway.

Darrin Cully, 28, of South Haven, was driving west on U.S. 160 around 11 a.m. Thursday with his family when his 2004 Dodge Quad-Cab was struck by lightning. Cully told investigators he heard a loud bang and then saw a "fireball" in the back seats.

He said his truck died and started filling up with smoke. Once the truck coasted to a stop, Cully along with four passengers, jump out of the vehicle to safety.

Sumner County Sheriff's Deputies Steve Rupert and Jerry Blunk examined the truck and found a large dent where the antenna once was on top of the vehicle.

On the inside, investigators found the dome light was hanging from the ceiling and there appeared to be burn marks on the truck's interior.

Rupert and Blunk found the antenna a few hundred feet east of where the truck came to a stop.

The antenna was laying in the middle of the roadway next to a hole in the pavement. There were chunks of pavement next to the hole in the roadway, investigators report.

Cully and passengers Marion Cully, Lane Cully, Ethan Cully and Devan Culp were transported to Sumner Regional Medical Center for treatment by Wellington EMS crews. Lane Cully was complaining of leg pain when emergency medical personnel arrived on scene.
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Strike Five !!

source:

Ananova:

14:17 Monday 27th September 2004
Lightning strikes - five times!
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1118734.html?menu=news.quirkies

quote:
------------------------------------------

A Cuban man has just been struck by lightning for the fifth time in 22 years.

Jorge Marquez says he is cursed and that lightning follows him, reports Terra
Noticias Populares.

Mr Marquez, who works as a farm worker in San Manuel, was first struck in June 1982.

He told: "I feel like something very cold enters my body or as if I'm a hot iron
being immersed in cold water."

He said that in the first time he was struck he had his hair burnt and his
fillings all flew out from his teeth.

But the most recent time he managed to minimise the damage by grabbing a piece of rubber to protect him as soon as it started to rain.

He said: "I don't trust my luck anymore. As soon as it starts to rain I look for
some isolating material. I don't want to go through it a sixth time!"

----------------------------

Mal F
 
Tourist Killed by Lightning on Peru Peak

Thu Oct 21,11:43 AM ET

Oddly Enough - Reuters

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - A Russian tourist was struck by lightning and killed on the summit of Huayna Picchu, the imposing mountain that rises behind Peru's famous Inca citadel Machu Picchu, police and officials said on Tuesday.

Police identified the victim as Ahato Denis Pankiin, 35. He was probably taking a photo around the time he was hit, police officer Francisco Teran told Reuters by telephone.

"Witnesses say he was struck by lightning just when he was on the summit," said Jose Cahua, an official at the local prosecutor's office. The incident happened on Monday.

Witnesses said simultaneous bolts of lightning had hit Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu.

It takes about an hour to climb the steep stone steps the Incas carved on Huayna Picchu, but the trek affords magnificent views of Machu Picchu's imposing gray stone ruins and the surrounding mountains, cloud forest and Inca stone terraces.
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Source
 
Lightning kills seven members of same family in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) Nov 29, 2004

Seven people including three children and a nine-month-old baby were killed when their hut was struck by lightning in rural South Africa over the weekend, police said on Monday.

Nine people were sheltering against a thunderstorm at Mombheni reserve near the small town of Mandini, about 550 kilometres (340 miles) southeast of Johannesburg when it was struck late Sunday, said police spokesman Musa Khaba.

"Seven people from one family, three adults and four children, including a nine month-old baby were killed when their home was struck last (Sunday) night," Captain Khaba told AFP.

"They have been burnt to ashes," he said.

Police could not give details on the three survivors but said the region had been his by two nights of heavy storms.

Thunderstorms are a regular feature during South Africa's summer rainfall season, often accompanied by lightning which kills dozens of people every year.

One of South Africa's worst lightning tragedies also happened in KwaZulu-Natal, when 13 people were killed in 2001 under similar circumstances after their thatched-roofed hut was struck during an electric storm.

--------------------
All rights reserved. © 2004 Agence France-Presse.
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Source
 
Lightning strikes UP; claims 27 lives:

[India News]: Lucknow, Jan 4 : At least 27 people were killed and ten others sustained serious burn injuries when lightning struck different parts of Uttar Pradesh, an official said here today.

While six persons were killed in Unnao yesterday, three each were killed in Sitapur, Rae Bareli and Bareilly, two each in Kanpur dehat, Barabanki, Shahjahanpur and Lakhimpur and one each in Faizabad, Lucknow, Etawah and Hamirpur, Principal Secretary, Home, Alok Sinha said.

Several others received serious burn injuries and were hospitalised, he said adding an ex gratia of Rs. 50,000 each has been provided to the families of the victims.

Several people were also injured in Etawah due to hailstrom that lashed the district yesterday.

About a dozen villages of the state received rains and hailstorm which also damaged crops, reports reaching here said adding directives have been issued to provide relief to the victims.

Meanwhile, MET office sources here said that after showers and hailstorm, the state was now expected to remain dry for the next 24 hours.

Bareilly, which recorded eight degrees celsius, was the coldest place in the state. PTI
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New Kerala.com
 
Has anyone seen thunder snow? It's really fun. Imagine a thunderstorm only the lightning illuminates all the snowflakes turning them a bizarre pinkish colour. Never realized it could happen until I experienced it.

I live in Toronto, and it's great fun during summer storms watching the lightning hit the CN Tower!
 
Lollypockets said:
Has anyone seen thunder snow? It's really fun. Imagine a thunderstorm only the lightning illuminates all the snowflakes turning them a bizarre pinkish colour. Never realized it could happen until I experienced it.

I live in Toronto, and it's great fun during summer storms watching the lightning hit the CN Tower!
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Nifty - I'd love to see it.

Thread here:

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13819
 
Strikes start 60 fires

28jan05

LIGHTNING has caused several fires across Victoria, with many still burning last night.

More than 60 fires were sparked when lightning strikes began on Tuesday afternoon, the biggest in the Little Desert.
The Little Desert fire burnt through almost 3000ha of land, including 550ha of private property before it was contained.

Small fires also started in the state's southwest near Portland, the Otways and the Grampians.

Some also started in Gippsland. Some of the fires continue to burn although most are contained to small areas.

Fire authorities said no communities were threatened by the fires, though smoke was visible in some areas. The Department of Sustainability and Environment said more fires were expected today with more lightning and strong winds forecast.
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Herald Sun
 
Man injured by lightning strike

A County Antrim man has said he is lucky to be alive after a bolt of lightning passed through his body.
David Reilly was in bed when his house at Castlehill Gardens, Ballymoney, was struck by lightning at about 0100 GMT on Saturday.

The strike blew the slates off the roof, demolished upstairs ceilings, and blew electrical sockets out and televisions off the walls.

Mr Reilly was taken to hospital for burns to his hand and foot.

"The hospital reckoned it was the force of the electricity passing through my hand and out my foot," he said.

The lightning struck as Mr Reilly was watching television in bed.

The bang was that loud I was disorientated
David Reilly
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"I was just about to turn the TV off when there was an almighty explosion," he said.

"Everything went dark. The ceilings fell on me. I got up and I didn't know where I was. The bang was that loud I was disorientated."

The blast ignited a small fire in Mr Reilly's seven-year-old daughter's bedroom and he climbed into the roofspace to put it out.

Fortunately, both the child and her mother were staying in England at the time.

He said his little girl would have been killed had she been in the house.

"I looked round me and I couldn't believe me eyes. It is devastating," he said.
[...]

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/n ... 261865.stm
Published: 2005/02/13 17:18:16 GMT

© BBC MMV
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Tony's under fire again

Lightning strikes Blair's plane
Tony Blair greets children at a school in Bolton
Tony Blair, before returning to London
Prime Minister Tony Blair's election campaign plane has been struck by lightning during a flight.

BBC Radio Five Live presenter Peter Allen, who was on the aircraft, said it was hit as it approached London on Wednesday afternoon.

He said he heard a loud bang but Mr Blair, who was talking to a journalist at the time, was apparently "imperturbable".

Mr Allen said: "The rest of us certainly weren't imperturbable."
 
Lightning Strike Raises Stink in Iowa

May 12, 2005 10:37 pm US/Pacific

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) Lightning hit some Alliant Energy equipment and created a stink strong enough to wake up some residents. The rotten-egg smell was caused early Wednesday when lightning hit an odorizer, a device that mixes a chemical with a foul odor into the natural gas system, officials said.

Its purpose is to alert people to possible leaks, since natural gas itself is odorless.

The lightning struck at about 4 a.m., Alliant spokesman Ryan Stensland said.

He said it "fried" the odorizer and allowed the system to be flooded with the stinking chemical.

"We had hundreds of phone calls," Stensland said. "We knew the main problem was the odorizer, but whenever we get a call like that from people with concerns about natural gas leaks, we have to check them out."

Stensland said they brought in about 40 additional workers from surrounding cities to help go door-to-door to check on people. He said they found small leaks in some homes.

"While the overall situation was unfortunate, some good might have come from it," he said.


-------------------
© 2005 The Associated Press.
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Source
 
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