Have you ever seen a bolt of lightning and thought it was pretty? Well some of us as children thought so. But as children we do not know that this pretty bolt of lightning can cause fires. This bolt of lightning is stronger than the 220 or even the 440 volts that is in all of our homes and businesses. When this bolt hits, it will burn and destroy whatever it hits. With all of the strikes of lightning in this country the likelihood of a person being hit directly are slim, but not impossible. You can receive one five different ways.
The first way is, of course, by a direct hit. This will mean that the lightning bolt will come right out of the sky and right into you. Most of the time this bolt might be aimed at the sweat on your body, the golf club, metal bat in your hand, metal coins in your pockets, or any jewelry you are wearing. Any of these things can bring a lightening bolt right to you. If you happen to be in a rain storm, seek cover until the storm passes.
The second way you could be struck by lightning is by a side splash. This can happen by you being to close to an item that happens to get struck. This is why we are told never to stand next to or under trees. This bolt could travel down this tree ending up in you. Standing near a body of water or even a mus puddle could cause you to be hit.
The third way is called contact voltage. This could happen when you touch an object that has been struck. For this to happen you would have to touch this item right after it was hit. This might happen if you were in your car and you touched any of the metal.
The next is called ground current. This means when an item is hit and it has traveled down the item going into the ground. This current will go out of this item and travel in several directions all at the same time. So the best place to be would be in your home during these storms.
The last or fifth way is called shock. This shock occurs after the bolt hits. This means that a person might receive injury as a result of the wave this bolt sends off. A person can receive the burns without actually being hit. Besides the burns, a person can suffer from several other health problems that would show up the rest of their lives. These problems could be sleeping disorders, headaches, and problems with the nervous system. If you have some of these problems and you happen to have been in a storm like this, call your doctor as soon as possible.
