Science of Survival: Struck by Lightning
Outside Podcast
00:00
The Power of Lightning
Phil saw a huge blast of light. Heard a sound like a grenade. Felt a thousand wasps, stinging him from the inside. Lightning is so brief and dissipates so quickly that we don't really understand the damage it does cause. Sometimes it stops the heart, but not always. Most strike victims lose consciousness. Some wake up temporarily blind or paralyzed. The shockwave can rupture eardrums and lodge shrapnel in the body. It's actually true that your clothes can be blown off of you. Occasionally strange bruises will appear on the skin and then go away after a few hours. We don't really know why.
Play episode from 13:02
Transcript
