Jessica Lynch was shooting video of a rain storm and was suddenly struck by lightning, capturing it all on video. Luckily she wasn’t injured, just a bit shook up.
From what i understand, it went through my left hand holding the camera, crossed my back and exited out of my right hand holding onto the metal railing. No entry or exit wounds, just a really good zap!
via Flickr Blog















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Photoshop a video?
It looks pretty real, the way lightning flickers is what convinced me. I think we're all in agreement that a full on hit from a lightning bolt would more or less knock her out at least? But all lightning bolts are not perfect; they have offshooting charges. Imagine a fraying rope, now make that rope badass and full of electrcity. An offshoot of charge mostly like found her hand and found the path of least resistance (through the metal rail) And her reaction was most definatly not acting. You can't fake terror in your voice like that. So if it is fake, I'll eat my hat.
lol. zing!
I've been really close to a lightning strike while I was out on my porch. It's seems like a loud crack, or a very loud pop. If you've ever played with high voltage wires and sparked them together, imagine just that times 1000. Scared the ***** outta my roomate and me.
Don't tease me, Bro!
It's actually a good thing that she was holding the handrail. The metal handrail drew nearly all the electricity out of her body. Otherwise, it might have killed her. It's a common myth that metal attracts lightning. Being the highest point in the area is what allows an electrical path to be connected. Golfers get struck because they're standing in a flat field far from trees.
People get struck all the time and survive. Looks pretty real.
Errr, what? I'm not going to disagree with your statement on why golfers can get struck, but to say “it's actually a good thing that she was holding the handrail because it drew nearly all the electricity out of her body.” is a fallicy. Lightning, like all electricity, is seeking the path of least resistence. Dry air is a higher dielectric than a moist human or tree. Similarly a metal structure that is grounded, if it is a good conductor, is even better. Lightning is an electrical potential built up between clouds and the neutrally charged earth. If the path of least resistance is a person standing in an open field or it is a lightning rod attached to the heighest point on a building, the electrical charge is going to find that path has less resistance.
Assuming the main strike was 20 feet from her as the video would suggest (and counting the seconds between the visible flash and hearing the thunder ;-) ), that is certainly close enough to induce a secondary current in the form of eddy currents. The high current lighting bolt would have created a large pulsed magnetic field. The railing may not have been fully grounded (encased in cement pylons or a sidewalk perhaps), but it was indeed close enough to become electrified from induction. This secondary current would have been significantly lower and is what I believe she experienced as the shock.
ever record the deafening boom of fire works on a hand held cam? it sounds alot like that
I'll have you know that “interedting” things happen to me all the time. I just need to make sure I've stretched beforehand and use plenty of vegetable oil.
Two not terribly bright people around me decided that the best place to hide from a fierce lightning storm was outside their truck under a tree. (Not inside the truck, which would have acted as a Faraday cage.) They got struck and the girl, leaning against the truck, got burns where her body was making contact with the metal. If I may generalize, this woman should have some noticeable damage to her hand.
You are all fake.
Amazing,adventurous and sad video. Though somehow she got saved. There may have some serious injuries if lightning had fallen on girl.
What a dumbass. Holding on to a metal railing during a lightning storm, that’s just retarded.
Ahhh…. she was SO not hit by lightning… it hit a couple hundred yards away in the forest. Why do people have to exaggerate so damn much?
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