Video: Woman Struck by Lightening While Filming Rainstorm

Um, we suppose it's never a good idea to operate electronics outside during a massive rainstorm. Just a thought... The lightening went through the camera operator's left hand holding the camera, crossed her back and exited out of her right hand holding onto a metal railing. Now she has super powers.

Comments (9)

I'm guessing it was holding on to the metal railing, not the electronics that got her in trouble. So I'd avoid clutching metal things connected to the ground during an electrical storm.

posted by lhc on July 10th 2008 at 11:52am
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You don't think it was holding the rail that saved her? That the lightening was attracted to the electrical appliance in her hand and dispersed through the metal? Especially since she claims it went through her camera hand and then through her metal pole holding hand?

posted by lil' soso on July 10th 2008 at 12:19pm
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Most likely if she hadn't been holding the metal railing it would have traveled down her body to the ground. The lightning was seeking the path of least resistance which was, in this case, through her to the metal. She's very very lucky it crossed her back and not her heart.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on July 10th 2008 at 2:29pm
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That was AWESOME!

posted by mscot on July 10th 2008 at 2:30pm
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that was crazy

posted by witchbaby on July 10th 2008 at 5:17pm
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The amazing thing (besides that she survived) is that the camera and the video survived.

posted by spinsLPs on July 11th 2008 at 8:41am
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That was the worst thing that I have seen in a long time

posted by jaynamo on July 12th 2008 at 7:17am
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That was really freaky and something I wish I didn't watch. I find it kind of disturbing that the video was even posted on this site, and the last line of text seems to make light of her situation ("Now she has super powers." Uh, yea, haha), but hearing her pain at the end of the clip seems quite to the contrary. Hey, at least now I know for sure what a person being struck by lightning sounds like when she's being electrocuted. Great.

posted by jjules on July 12th 2008 at 10:36am
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Wow! That was pretty intense.

Lightning is typically seeking the shortest path to the ground. You do not want to be part of that path. My guess is holding onto the metal guard rail probably made her a lot more attractive than she would have been otherwise, because your shoes typically provide some insulation.

Holding onto anything metal that's in contact with the ground during a rainstorm is never a good idea, especially if you're taller than the metal thing. You've essentially just turned yourself into a meat lightning rod.

She's lucky the lightning didn't cross her heart on her way from one hand to the other, or she'd probably be dead.

posted by sunspot42 on July 12th 2008 at 9:20pm
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