A lightning strike delivers a brief but catastrophic electrical jolt to the human body. The air in the lightning channel is instantaneously heated to approximately 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about five times hotter than the sun’s surface. This discharge can involve over 100 million electrical volts and tens of thousands of amperes of current. While most people survive the initial impact, the physical force and electrical energy cause profound, multi-system trauma.
The Instantaneous Sensation of Impact
The experience of being struck is so fast that the victim’s memory is often fragmented or non-existent. The entire process, from the initial electrical leader to the return stroke, occurs in mere milliseconds. Survivors frequently describe the immediate onset of an overwhelming sound, which is the thunder’s shockwave heard at point-blank range, often likened to a deafening explosion.
The sudden electrical surge is accompanied by an intense flash of light that can temporarily blind the victim. A common description is the sensation of being hit by a painful force, sometimes likened to an electrical static shock multiplied across the entire body. This instant jolt of energy often results in immediate unconsciousness or temporary paralysis, making it impossible to move or think clearly during impact.
The majority of the current does not pass through the body’s core, but instead travels rapidly over the wet surface of the skin in an event known as “flashover.” This external path allows a high percentage of victims to survive, though current still enters the body through openings like the eyes, ears, and mouth. Some people report a distinct smell of burning rubber or a metallic taste immediately following the strike. A temporary condition called keraunoparalysis, a transient paralysis affecting the limbs, particularly the legs, is a common immediate neurological symptom.
Acute Physical Trauma and Injury
The greatest immediate threat to life is the effect of the electrical current on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The high-voltage discharge can instantly depolarize the heart muscle, leading to immediate cardiac arrest, which is the most common cause of death. Simultaneously, the current can paralyze the brain’s respiratory center, causing the victim to stop breathing.
Although the heart’s spontaneous electrical rhythm may restart quickly, respiratory arrest is often more prolonged. This sequence can lead to the brain being deprived of oxygen, resulting in secondary hypoxic injury. The extreme heat of the strike creates two distinct types of burns, though deep internal burns are rare due to the flashover effect.
The most common burns are superficial flash burns caused by the air superheating and steam generating on the skin’s surface. A unique and temporary sign of a strike is the appearance of Lichtenberg figures, a fern-like or feathering pattern on the skin. These reddish markings are not true thermal burns but a superficial sign of the current tracking across the skin, and they typically fade within hours.
The shockwave from the superheated air causes barotrauma, or blast injury. This pressure wave is powerful enough to rupture eardrums in a high percentage of victims and can lead to internal organ contusions, such as lung damage. Violent muscular contractions or the force of the blast can throw a person a significant distance, resulting in blunt trauma injuries like fractures, dislocations, or traumatic brain injury.
The Lingering Neurological Aftermath
For those who survive the initial acute injuries, the long-term consequences are overwhelmingly neurological, affecting the nervous system. The electrical discharge can disrupt the function of the brain and peripheral nerves, leading to persistent neuropathic pain. This chronic pain can manifest as severe burning, tingling, or numbness that is difficult to manage.
The cognitive impact is a common complaint among survivors, often resembling a traumatic brain injury. People frequently experience memory loss, particularly amnesia surrounding the event, difficulty with concentration, attention deficits, and slowed mental processing. These changes can severely interfere with a survivor’s ability to return to work or maintain their quality of life.
Sensory disturbances are a prominent long-term issue, with many victims developing chronic ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or experiencing balance and coordination problems. Ocular damage is another delayed effect, where electrical energy can cause the formation of bilateral cataracts, sometimes developing months or years after the strike. The trauma of the event can leave a lasting psychological imprint, contributing to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and shifts in personality or irritability.