Lightning represents one of nature’s most intense displays of power, involving an instantaneous and massive transfer of electrical energy. A typical cloud-to-ground strike can carry a potential difference of up to 300 million volts and a current of around 30,000 amperes, briefly heating the surrounding air to temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun. This immense, transient discharge delivers a catastrophic electrical shock to any living organism in its path. Being struck by lightning is an extremely rare event, but the experience is defined by the sheer, overwhelming force of this energy transfer.
The Immediate Sensory Shock
The experience begins with a sudden, overwhelming, and percussive force, often described by survivors as feeling like a massive, explosive jolt or being “walloped by a sledgehammer.” This immediate physical impact is accompanied by a millisecond flash of intense, burning heat that instantly vaporizes moisture on the skin.
Some victims report a brief, preceding sensory warning, such as a metallic taste in the mouth or the unsettling sensation of hair standing on end just before the strike occurs. Consciousness is frequently lost at the moment of impact due to the electrical disruption of the brain.
If the person remains conscious, the immediate aftermath is characterized by profound sensory disorientation. The enormous heat creates a deafening shockwave, resulting in a thunderclap that can cause immediate hearing loss or eardrum rupture. A pervasive feeling of intense tingling or profound numbness rushes through the body as the electrical current dissipates.
External Signs of Electrical Trauma
A lightning strike often leaves distinct, visible evidence on the skin, though deep, third-degree burns are uncommon because the current often flashes over the body rather than passing entirely through it. External marks include linear burns, which appear as red streaks caused by the sudden vaporization of sweat or rainwater on the skin.
Flash burns can also occur due to the intense heat radiating from the superheated air near the strike channel. The most unique and diagnostic sign of a lightning strike is the formation of Lichtenberg figures, sometimes called lightning flowers. These are reddish, fern-like, or tree-branching patterns that appear on the skin’s surface within minutes of the strike. They are not true burns but rather a temporary mark caused by the rupture of superficial capillaries beneath the skin. These figures are pathognomonic for a lightning injury and typically fade within hours or a couple of days.
Immediate Physiological System Failure
The most immediate danger posed by a lightning strike is its effect on the cardiorespiratory system. The massive electrical current can send the heart into a state of asystole, meaning the electrical activity of the heart stops completely. While the heart often spontaneously restarts shortly after the initial shock, the respiratory center in the brainstem can be simultaneously paralyzed, causing respiratory arrest. If breathing does not resume quickly, the ensuing lack of oxygen leads to a secondary, often fatal, cardiac arrest due to hypoxia.
Another immediate physiological effect is a condition known as keraunoparalysis, a temporary, lightning-induced paralysis. This condition manifests as weakness, numbness, or a lack of pulse and mottling in the affected limbs, most commonly the legs. Keraunoparalysis is caused by temporary vasomotor instability and neural disruption, but it typically resolves spontaneously within a few hours.
Acute Neurological and Muscular Impact
Beyond the life-threatening system failures, the nervous system sustains a profound, immediate insult. Most survivors experience an altered level of consciousness, ranging from transient disorientation to complete loss of consciousness. This is coupled with immediate memory loss, specifically retrograde amnesia, where the person cannot recall the events leading up to the strike.
The electrical current’s effect on the musculature is immediate and violent, causing intense, involuntary muscle spasms that can be forceful enough to cause bone fractures or joint dislocations. Even after initial recovery, survivors frequently report a post-concussion-like state, including severe headaches, dizziness, and profound generalized weakness or muscle soreness. This constellation of symptoms underscores that lightning injury is primarily an injury to the nervous system.