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To say that lightning is a dangerous phenomenon is to say nothing. The lightning bolt can reach a temperature of 30. st. C is so bright that it can damage your eyesight. Thunder heard at close range can lead to temporary deafness. And what happens to the body once it is struck by lightning? The black eyes and the Lichtenberg figure are just examples.
- At least 50 percent victims of a direct lightning strike get away with life, though the injuries are severe
- Lack of sensation in the extremities, damage to eyesight, rupture of the eardrum, cataracts may occur, and a characteristic pattern called the Lichtenberg figure may appear on the skin.
- Dilated pupils attract attention. “The eyes just turn black”, he writes in the book “TOPR. Not everyone will come back »Beata Sabała-Zielińska
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
What does a person feel when they are struck by lightning?
«The moment the lightning struck I felt a sudden, intense pain. But it wasn’t the pain I had known so far, it was something completely different. A terrible feeling as if suspended, stunned, paralyzed, like an electric kick, but much more powerful. Paralysis that does not allow you to breathe », said in an interview with Medonet, Fr. Jerzy Kozłowski, who in 2019 on Giewont was struck by lightning three times.
As in the book «TOPR. Not everyone will come back, “notes the author Beata Sabała-Zielińska,” the feeling of electric shock is very undefined, and the victim cannot feel where the lightning hit him, where he ran, where he left. “It is impossible because these are milliseconds”, emphasizes Sabała-Zielińska. The lightning path is recreated on the basis of medical examination. What do doctors see then? What happens to the body of a person who is struck by lightning?
The rest of the text is below the video.
What happens in a person who is struck by lightning?
Before we answer, it is worth knowing that at least 50 percent. He survives the victims of a direct lightning strike, although, as Prof. Marek Szczerbiński, most often with serious injuries, including deep burns (the body is burned, there may be a risk of necrosis) or fractures caused by falls. There may also be a lack of sensation in the limbs (this is a rare complication that occurs in the so-called step paralysis) – the load for a few minutes or hours may cut off the lower part of the spinal cord, turning off motor functions.
Doctors can recognize a person struck by lightning without any problems. The dilated pupils attract attention then. “During electrocution, the adrenaline rush is so violent that the eyes just turn black”, we read in the book. This condition results in blurred vision (too much light enters the retina). The picture becomes blurry.
Permanent damage to these organs can be caused if electric charges enter the body through the eyes, nose or ears. An example of a late complication after paralysis is cataract. The eardrum may also be stunned and ruptured on both sides.
The experience of being struck by lightning also affects the psyche, and can also result in post-traumatic stress disorder.
A figure of Lichtenberg appears on the skin of people hit by lightning
In people who are struck by lightning, characteristic patterns, called the Lichtenberg figure, may appear. «It looks as if all the dishes suddenly» came out «, writes Beata Sabała-Zielińska.
Skin wounds resemble branched trees. They are usually bluish red or brown in color. They are the result of damage to the capillaries (in the human body, the current most often runs through blood vessels, vessels and muscles). The Lichtenberg figure may persist for days or even weeks.
What happens to a person when lightning strikes close? Doctor: It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this
It is also worth remembering what happens when lightning strikes a person in the vicinity. The victim looks like a bomb exploded nearby ». «The whole body or parts of the body, especially the legs, were shattered with tiny fragments of rock, forming something like a pattern. I saw something like this for the first time » – he recalls in the book «TOPR. Not everyone will come back »Dr. Sylweriusz Kosiński. «On one square centimeter there were a dozen or so deeply embedded small pebbles. One person had a stone the size of five centimeters embedded in the thigh. It’s unbelievable »- says the doctor.
This is also mentioned by Fr. Kozłowski. «He struck not a cross, but very close to me – a rock that just exploded as if it had been hit by a grenade. The shards stuck into people’s bodies. I myself have a scar from hitting one of them »he told Medonet.
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