[Rip]

I need a drink, a really strong drink.

Got out early from work today(Friday's are really slow.) So I went to hit the trails since I had the bike with me, hit Round Valley, since it isn't effect that badly at all from rain. The only wet spots there are on an old trail that isn't really that great so that's avoidable, the Cushetunk drains really well. The ride was going great hit the turn around point and noticed that the sky was really threatening as soon as I got to the one damn, it started going across a dirt bridge when I noticed a flat and as soon as I went to change the tire it started to storm, less than one yard to my right, I hear a loud crack, the chainlink fence got struck by lightning. If it was any further to the left I would have gotten struck. So yes, got caught out in the middle of a severe storm.

 

[narlus]

new avatar

 

[sanjuro]

Wow, unlike the whiners who complain about the "worst day" of their lives, you really almost got fried...

 

[syadasti]

Only 15% of the people struck by lightning die. More than twice as many people die every year from insect bites (bee or ant stings)

The rest:

The estimated 400 people who survive lightning strikes each year often suffer permanent disabilities, such as memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, stiffness of joints, weakness and depression.

 

[Jeremy R]

Only 15% of the people struck by lightning die

The rest:

Lightning struck Chuck Norris one time and now lightning has Parkinsons.

 

[Rip]

Only 15% of the people struck by lightning die

The rest:

I was aware of that, which is why possibly was used instead of could have, it could have been fatal, having a metal lever in my one hand, and holding a metal rim in the other. The important thing though is that it missed.

 

[narlus]

Lightning struck Chuck Norris one time and now lightning has Parkinsons.

 

[JRB]

I was about to rope a cow in a thunderstorm back in the early 90s. Lightning hit about 30 feet from me and it blew mud all over me. I was terrified. I left my horse and walked to the truck, knowing that they are known to be struck. Glad it missed, Rip.

 

[teamkranzelbike]

I was pulling into my driveway a couple years ago in the mist of a bad storm. The tree next to my truck got struck. the lightning went down through the tree and jumped right into my truck, Knocked me unconscious and burned the entire electrical system out of the truck.It also traveled through the groung and made a mess out of the house breaker box as well. I ended up going for a cat scan. Some minor memory loss but no real damage.

 

[Ciaran]

Glad you weren't hit!

 

[macko]

That's pretty nuts man!

While was an intern for our state game and fish dept. I was tasked with doing an inventory of all the cattle fencing in this particular study area; basically I had to hike & GPS over 800 miles of barbed wire fence in the middle of nowhere.

Anyways, this one day was particularly over-cast and looked as though rain was imminent. It began to shower lightly but I forged on, being it was the only way to get back to my truck. At one point I felt the hairs on my arms and the back of the neck start to tingle, I heard the wires on the fence next to me start to buzz and I realized that is what's called "St. Elmo's Fire" (I think). I immediately booked it AWAY from the fence just in time to hear the thunder CRACK behind me knocked me on my ass.

Now I don't know if it was the lightening that knocked me down or the fact that the thunder was so loud that I thought I had died and hit the ground. I'm not even sure where the lightening hit 'cause I couldn't find any evidence of a ground strike. Anyways, lightening is scary as sh!t. Good story to tell your buddies.

 

[brungeman]

Anyways, this one day was particularly over-cast and looked as though rain was imminent. It began to shower lightly but I forged on, being it was the only way to get back to my truck. At one point I felt the hairs on my arms and the back of the neck start to tingle, I heard the wires on the fence next to me start to buzz and I realized that is what's called "St. Elmo's Fire" (I think). I immediately booked it AWAY from the fence just in time to hear the thunder CRACK behind me knocked me on my ass.
QUOTE]

Macko, that is a whacky story! I think I remember that prior to lightning striking the earth can actually leach (give off) electrons. its caused by a "step leader" and what you felt was the "streamer" electrons riding from the earth to toward the clouds. it is basically the path that the lightning may follow! YOU ARE DAMN LUCKY MY FRIEND!

2 summers ago My Vanagon blew the water pump as we were trying to race a hurricane (without much success) off the outer banks of NC. I got the van towed to a place where I could work on it as Bek and Emma (then only 8 weeks old) could hang out in the van. as I worked the water in the parking lot got deeper and pretty soon was up to my ankles. As I wrenched the hair on my arms started to stand up and without a seconds notice lightning struck no more than 75 yards away in a grove of tall standing pines. I could feel the residual charge when it hit travel up through me. but it was pretty disapated by the time it got to me! The guy who towed me to the junk yard called his friend to help tow me again, and we moved the van into his garage about 2 miles away. Bek and Emma settled into this guys office to watch TV, when the National weather service broke in, and stated "a funnel cloud and tornado spawned by inclement weather just went through GreatBridge VA" Aparantly the lighning wasn't the worst thing to happen, the area we moved the van from got hit with a tornado. the stand of trees the lightning his was leveled by the winds etc. I WAS LUCKY THAT TIME!!!

 

[Potroast88]

Oh yeah, you think that's bad......today my girlfriend walked across the living room carpet and bent over to give me a kiss and when she did, BAM!!, static electricity. I even saw a tiny spark. That was pretty scary.

 

[skinny mike]

there is 1 door handle at work that always shocks me whenever i touch it. its like the thing with the mice avoiding the areas where they get shocked in lab experiments. everytime i go through it i seem to subconsciously hesitate about touching it. but thats about the worst that ive got.

 

[DirtyDog]

Only 15% of the people struck by lightning die. More than twice as many people die every year from insect bites (bee or ant stings)

The rest:

Thanks for that Cliff Claven.

 

[-dustin]

i figured a strike that close would have affected you somehow. thinking back, did you 'feel' anything before it struck?

the closest i got to something like that today was a tubeless tire exploding while being aired up.

 

[skinny mike]

the closest i got to something like that today was a tubeless tire exploding while being aired up.

thats always fun. the best is when you fill up a tire, put it down, and then as you lean down to pick something up right next to it the tire blows up right by your ear.

 

[biggins]

my friend Kate has gotten hit by lightning twice.

 

[PatBranch]

thats always fun. the best is when you fill up a tire, put it down, and then as you lean down to pick something up right next to it the tire blows up right by your ear.

I did that once. I pumped up the tire, then pushed it down a little to see how soft/hard it was. All of a sudden, the sidewall expanded, popped out, and the tube blew up. Slime was everywhere.

Damn, you guys are lucky- it's good that you are all still good. Those are some crazy stories!

 

[laura]

my friend Kate has gotten hit by lightning twice.

I had a teacher in middle school that was struck twice. the second time she went kind of loopy on us.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

I got stuck out in a severe lightning storm last weekend. A buddy of mine and I were a little ways out when it hit..... and it hit HARD. We were covered head to toe in mud, but luckily no close calls with lightning bolts.

 

[w00dy]

there is 1 door handle at work that always shocks me whenever i touch it. its like the thing with the mice avoiding the areas where they get shocked in lab experiments. everytime i go through it i seem to subconsciously hesitate about touching it. but thats about the worst that ive got.

If you haven't seen it, I think you'd like the movie Office Space.