What happens when a person gets struck by lightening?

Question

I'm talking about a full thunderstorm, and a man walking in an open space, getting struck by a bolt. What happens internally? Have people ever survived these shocks?

Answer 1

Lightning does not travel throughout the entire body nor does it immediately destroy every organ in the body (or no one would ever survive it).

Lightning travels the path of least resistance from entry to exit. This path is little more than a quarter's width in diameter... pretty narrow for how lethal lightning can be. Outside there are visual burns on the area of entry and exit. But you're interested in internal effects. Well, be prepared, this might get grizzly:

1) there is an immediately burned core passing through the body. If it hits an organ, that organ is toast. if not, the person might survive. This core path has suffered instant third degree burns. Think of it as being like cooking a well done steak but doing it in the blink of an eye.

2) The surge of electricity can stop the heart. Remember, the nervous system as well as the heart's rythm is controlled by electricity. If the heart is not stopped, the person has a better chance of surviving.

3) After that initial damage, that core path of damage from the lightning (which is dead) is still EXTREMELY hot. Think of it as the edge of the steak touching the grill. In the same way the edge of the steak passes heat on to the center to cook more of the meat, so that damaged core passes heat to the surrounding areas, spreading the damage and making it worse. One of the key treatments for a lightning strike survivor is to cool the damaged area as quickly as possible to limit the amount of damage spread.

Answer 2

Massive burns internally, the blood boils and vaporizes, the heart, liver, spleen and any blood saturated organ (which is most of them) rupture or burst. Pretty nasty stuff. I believe that guiness world records has a man in it that has been struck by lightning 7 times.

Why doesn't lightning ever strike the same place twice?
After the first time, that place isn't there anymore.

Answer 3

Most of the time a person dies when struck by lightening. A huge amount of electricity is distributed throughout the body. however there have been numerous survivors. I have heard of a park ranger that has been struck multiple times by lightening and is still living.

Answer 4

Electicity (that's what lights is) likes to take the shortest direction to the earth which frequently ability it is going to strike a construction or a tree long earlier something it the air. yet while a parachuter/paraglider have been to get caught via lights i do no longer think of something extra then a burn on the touch factor could take place to them till the lightning additionally controlled to hit something that would floor it (buldings, timber, water, floor, etc.)

Answer 5

Martin Luther claimed to have been struck by lightning before becoming a monk.

Answer 6

when electricity runs through your body, the resistance of your skin and other organs dissipates some of the energy as heat. this causes you to "burn" wherever the current flows through you. It can actually destroy your insides without leaving too much outside damage, except for entrance and exit wounds which are very nasty.

Answer 7

the whole system of the person struck by lightning from the tip of his toe to the tip of his hair will get burned because of the too much voltage of the lightning and the person will eventualyy die after being struck

Answer 8

well normally the body becomes electrically charged because not all the electricty leaves the body. and the result is a walking human magnet.

that was just a joke.

Answer 9

they get super powers and fly!!