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I Almost Got Struck By Lightning Today

MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,762
edited July 2009 in All Encompassing Trip
I was driving home from work and it was really pouring out. Some lightning.

So I moving along, normal roads, everyone was moving slow. There was a car about 40 feet in front of me. A bolt of lightning hits the ground, almost hits the ground between me and the car. It was such a quick instant. It was strange. The lightning bolt seemed really thin/narrow. Instantly a loud thunder clap.

Then I am passing an open park/field and I see another lightning strike about 100 yards away from me.

I got home and sprinted into the apartment after the sketchy ride. They get a lot of thunderstorms in the Philly area.



I hear the car is the safest place anyways? Is that a fact or just something that makes its rounds in 5th grade?

Anyone else ever have close encounters with lightning?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • FifthelementFifthelement Lotusland Posts: 6,963
    Thank goodness your okay. Kinda seems like a sign or something :shock: :? :D

    Better stay off the phone, away from any trees or windows, etc. Yeah, as far as I know the car is still one of the safest places :ugeek:
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  • dawngdawng Posts: 644
    wow, scary! glad you're ok!

    From what I understand, the car is supposed to be a good place because the rubber in the tires keeps the elecricity from grounding out...if I'm wrong I'm sure it'll be pointed out soon enough ;)
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  • mrveddersonmrvedderson Posts: 784
    inside a car is safe, the tires do ground the lightening. i had a lightening strike incident once. i was leaning against one of the metal antennae things attached to the house. well at least in this old house in a small country town. and the antennae was struck by lightening. messed my head up for a few days but other than that it was a hell of a close call and a good laugh after i knew i would be ok.
  • chris32482chris32482 Posts: 213
    Dude, it would have sucked if you'd died before you got to hear Backspacer...
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,461
    I once saw a ball of lightning, yes I said a ball, flash through my window and hit the phone that my mom was holding. She obviously screamed and dropped the phone and we both just looked at each other. True story.
    severed hand thirteen
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  • SongburstSongburst Posts: 1,195
    mrvedderson wrote:
    inside a car is safe, the tires do ground the lightening. i had a lightening strike incident once. i was leaning against one of the metal antennae things attached to the house. well at least in this old house in a small country town. and the antennae was struck by lightening. messed my head up for a few days but other than that it was a hell of a close call and a good laugh after i knew i would be ok.
    Actually the rubber tires are not what protects you in a car. It is the metal frame. If your car is struck by lightning (don't think it happens too often), the lightning will conduct through the frame towards the outside of the car (and probably exit through one of the rims and actually blow out a tire). If your windows are down, the arc might "jump" into the car. The electrical resistance of hundreds of meters of air (which the lightning bolt travelled through before hitting your car) is far greater than the resistance of rubber tires so it's a myth that the tires insulate you from lightning strikes in a car.
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  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    Scary! Glad you're ok. I remember visiting relatives in Virginia and one was particularly scared of lightning and she always unplugged everything and went to the car. Here are some tips though. :)
    http://www.srpnet.com/safety/lightningsafety.aspx
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  • Kilgore_TroutKilgore_Trout Posts: 7,334
    a friend of a friend had his car struck by lightning a few years back... not trying to disprove that its not safe - ive always heard the same... just saying its happened atleast once

    glad youre alright
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  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    lightning struck within 20 feet while sitting on the porch during a massive storm with my guitar player and a few friends. we were drunk. long story short. i jumped and squealed like a bitch and almost pissed my pants.

    good times.
    Peace, Love.

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  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    I sorta got struck by lightning a couple of months ago...

    We were camping with my parents (we have a tent, they have a trailer)... It was storming bad one afternoon, and we were just hanging out in their camper. I went outside under the awning to get a drink out of the cooler.

    At that time, lightning hit the ground across the road from us, and must have traveled through the wet ground to me... As I was reaching in the cooler (filled with water and ice), I felt a shock (probably less than shock from an outlet at home), and a huge spark and snap came out of my hand... it scared the shit out of me... all of the hair on my legs and arms stood up and I jumped and probably screamed like a little school girl.
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  • mrveddersonmrvedderson Posts: 784
    Songburst wrote:
    mrvedderson wrote:
    inside a car is safe, the tires do ground the lightening. i had a lightening strike incident once. i was leaning against one of the metal antennae things attached to the house. well at least in this old house in a small country town. and the antennae was struck by lightening. messed my head up for a few days but other than that it was a hell of a close call and a good laugh after i knew i would be ok.
    Actually the rubber tires are not what protects you in a car. It is the metal frame. If your car is struck by lightning (don't think it happens too often), the lightning will conduct through the frame towards the outside of the car (and probably exit through one of the rims and actually blow out a tire). If your windows are down, the arc might "jump" into the car. The electrical resistance of hundreds of meters of air (which the lightning bolt travelled through before hitting your car) is far greater than the resistance of rubber tires so it's a myth that the tires insulate you from lightning strikes in a car.


    thats how you set me straight, i ask for it and ask for it but hardly get corrected.
  • justamjustam Posts: 21,412
    wolfbear wrote:
    Scary! Glad you're ok. I remember visiting relatives in Virginia and one was particularly scared of lightning and she always unplugged everything and went to the car. Here are some tips though. :)
    http://www.srpnet.com/safety/lightningsafety.aspx

    Hey. Thanks for putting this link up.

    When we moved to Tampa recently, we discovered that more people are killed here by lightning that any other place in the country so I'm trying to take the rain storms more seriously. (!!) :?
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&
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