Surviving a lightning strike

Nine out of 10 people who are struck by lightning live to tell the tale. But they walk away with a dizzying array of mysterious symptoms.

A lightning strike in Lamb County, Texas.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Image)

Sometimes they'll keep the clothing, the strips of shirt or trousers that weren't cut away and discarded by the doctors. They'll tell and retell their story at family gatherings and online, sharing pictures and news reports of survivals like their own or far bigger tragedies. The tourist hit on a Brazilian beach. The Texan struck dead while out running. The 65 people killed during four stormy days in Bangladesh.

Only by piecing together the bystander reports, the singed clothing, and the burnt skin can survivors start to construct their own picture of the possible trajectory of the electrical current, one that can approach 200 million volts and travel at one-third the speed of light.

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